2000
#23,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,031
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Shawn
A surname likely derived from the Celtic name Ó Somhain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,115 Americans carry the last name Shawn. That puts it at #26,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 307,403 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shawn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 307,403
Census rank
#26,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
972
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 972 bearers of the surname Shawn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shawn
The surname Shawn originated in Ireland. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Séaghdha, which means "descendant of Seaghaidh". The name Seaghaidh is derived from the Irish word "seidigh", meaning "hawker" or "peddler".
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century in County Cork, Ireland. Some of the earliest spellings of the name include O'Shaughnessy, O'Shoghnessy, and O'Shawnessy. The surname was particularly prevalent in the baronies of Duhallow and Muskerry in County Cork.
In the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical record compiled in the 17th century, there are references to several individuals with the surname Shawn or its variations. One notable mention is of Donnchadh Ó Séaghdha, a poet and chronicler who lived in the 15th century.
The surname Shawn can also be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents from the reign of the Tudor monarchs in England. These records mention individuals with the name in various contexts, such as land grants and legal proceedings.
Some notable historical figures with the surname Shawn include:
1. Sir John O'Shaughnessy (1787-1871), an Irish-born British army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1869 to 1871.
2. Thomas O'Shaughnessy (1809-1889), an Irish-American civil engineer who oversaw the construction of several major railway lines in the United States, including the Union Pacific Railroad.
3. Edmond O'Shaughnessy (1887-1950), an Irish-American lawyer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 1944 to 1948.
4. Richard O'Shaughnessy (1871-1944), an Irish-American attorney and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1909 to 1913.
5. Michael O'Shaughnessy (1864-1934), an Irish-American civil engineer who designed and oversaw the construction of the Hetch Hetchy Project, a major water supply system for San Francisco.
The surname Shawn has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Shanaglish, Shanaglish Island, and Shanakill, which are derived from the Irish words "sean" (old) and "cill" (church).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shawn
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shawn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Shawn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 693
- Black or African American12.1% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 60
- Two or more races5.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shawn
Shawn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#25,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 961
-70 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 2,531 places
2020
#26,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 972
+11 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 781 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,128 | 1,031 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,659 | 961 | 0.33 | -70 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 2,531 places |
| 2020 | #26,440 | 972 | 0.33 | +11 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 781 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Shawn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #25,659 | #26,440 | -3.0% |
| Count | 961 | 972 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.33 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shawn bearers went from 961 to 972 (+1.1% change). The surname moved down 781 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,659 to #26,440.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shawn
FAQ
Shawn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shawn?
Name Census estimates that about 1,115 living Americans carry the surname Shawn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 307,403 residents.
How common is Shawn?
Shawn ranks #26,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 972 people with the surname Shawn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shawn.
Has Shawn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shawn went from 961 recorded bearers to 972. That is an increase of 11 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,659 to #26,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Shawn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shawn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (12.1%), Hispanic (6.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Shawn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Shawn mean?
A surname likely derived from the Celtic name Ó Somhain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Shawn (0.33 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Shawn?
See how common the surname Shawn is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.