2000
#11,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Shawver
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold shaves, a woodworking tool for smoothing surfaces.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,930 Americans carry the last name Shawver. That puts it at #11,733 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shawver 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
2.9K
1 in 116,981
Census rank
#11,733
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,555 bearers of the surname Shawver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11733rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawver, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shawver
The surname SHAWVER is believed to have originated from the Old English word "sceawere," which means "viewer" or "watcher." This name likely referred to an occupation, such as a watchman or a scout, during the medieval period in England.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 13th century in the county of Derbyshire, England. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Robert le Shawere, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Derbyshire in 1273.
In the 14th century, variations of the name started appearing in other parts of England, such as Shawere, Shawwer, and Shawver. These variations were likely due to differences in regional dialects and the way the name was spelled and pronounced.
The name SHAWVER can also be traced back to place names in England, such as Shaw and Shawbury. These place names were derived from the Old English word "sceaga," meaning "small wood" or "copse."
One notable bearer of the SHAWVER surname was Sir John Shawer, who lived in the 15th century and served as a knight during the Wars of the Roses. Another prominent individual was William Shawer, who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century.
During the 17th century, the name SHAWVER began to appear in records in the American colonies, as many English settlers emigrated to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Thomas Shawver, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
Another notable bearer of the SHAWVER surname was John Shawver, who was born in 1745 in Virginia and served as a private in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the SHAWVER surname continued to be found in various parts of the United States, with concentrations in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. One notable individual from this period was Daniel Shawver, who was born in 1825 in Ohio and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shawver
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawver, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shawver 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 Shawver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,314
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 84
- Two or more races2.7% · 68
- Black or African American2.6% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shawver
Shawver 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
#11,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,656
+45 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 647 places
2020
#11,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,555
-101 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,146 | 2,611 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,793 | 2,656 | 0.90 | +45 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 647 places |
| 2020 | #11,733 | 2,555 | 0.85 | -101 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 60 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 Shawver 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 | #11,793 | #11,733 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,656 | 2,555 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.85 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shawver bearers went from 2,656 to 2,555 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,793 to #11,733.
FAQ
Shawver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shawver?
Name Census estimates that about 2,930 living Americans carry the surname Shawver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,981 residents.
How common is Shawver?
Shawver ranks #11,733 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,555 people with the surname Shawver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shawver.
Has Shawver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shawver went from 2,656 recorded bearers to 2,555. That is a decrease of 101 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,793 to #11,733.
What does the Census say about the background of Shawver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shawver, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Shawver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,314 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shawver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Shawver (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 Shawver mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold shaves, a woodworking tool for smoothing surfaces. 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 Shawver (0.85 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 many people have the surname Shawver?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.