Find out how popular the last name Shawback is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shawback.

Shawback, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shawback surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shawback in America

Shawback is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shawback surname appeared 135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shawback.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shawback to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shawback

The surname SHAWBACK is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "shaw" meaning a small wood or grove, and "bak" meaning a ridge or hill. This suggests the name was originally given to someone who lived near a wooded hill or ridge.

Early records show variations of the spelling such as Shawbak, Shawbake, and Schawbak. The name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls made during the reign of King Edward I of England. This indicates SHAWBACK was an established surname in Scotland by the late 13th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Shawback, a landowner in Ayrshire, Scotland, who was mentioned in a charter dated 1382. Another early record is of John Shawbak, a merchant in Aberdeen, recorded in 1425.

In the 16th century, the SHAWBACK surname spread to other parts of the United Kingdom. William Shawbake, born in 1543 in Yorkshire, England, was a noted scholar and translator of Greek texts. His son, also named William Shawbake (1570-1635), was a clergyman and writer.

The SHAWBACK name also has ties to the Scottish Borders region. In 1612, a place called Shawbackmuir is mentioned in records from Roxburghshire. This may have been named after a local family or individual with the surname.

Notable people with the surname SHAWBACK include:

1. James Shawback (1725-1798), a Scottish army officer who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

2. Elizabeth Shawback (1780-1867), an English novelist and poet from Lancashire.

3. Alexander Shawback (1819-1892), a Scottish-born civil engineer who helped construct railroads in Canada and the United States.

4. Mary Shawback (1857-1928), a Canadian suffragette and social reformer from Ontario.

5. John Shawback (1901-1981), a British actor and playwright who appeared in several films and stage productions in the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shawback

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shawback.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shawback was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shawback has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shawback was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shawback, please contact us.

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