2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shayer
An English surname derived from the Old English word "scéacere", meaning "robber" or "plunderer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Shayer. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shayer 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Shayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shayer
The surname Shayer is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the old English word "schavere," which referred to a person who shaved or trimmed hair as an occupation. This name is closely related to the more common surname "Shaver," with the difference in spelling likely due to regional variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shayer can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dated 1327, where a certain John Shayer is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the southern English county of Sussex by the early 14th century.
In the late 16th century, the name Shayer appeared in parish records in the county of Gloucestershire, with the birth of William Shayer recorded in 1586 in the town of Tetbury. This indicates that the name had spread to other regions of England by this time.
During the 17th century, the name Shayer can be found in various historical records, including the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which recorded the names of men who pledged their allegiance to the Protestant faith. Among those listed was a certain Thomas Shayer from the parish of Cerne Abbas in Dorset.
One notable figure bearing the surname Shayer was Sir William Shayer, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent merchant and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1608-1609. His coat of arms, featuring three golden shaving razors on a blue field, is a clear nod to the occupational origins of the surname.
Another individual of historical significance was John Shayer, a renowned English clockmaker who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for creating intricate and highly accurate clocks, some of which can still be found in museums and private collections today.
In the 18th century, the name Shayer appeared in various records across different counties in England, including Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. Among those bearing the name was William Shayer, a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Broughton Poggs, Oxfordshire, who lived from 1712 to 1789.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure was Charles Shayer, a British artist and illustrator born in 1826. He is best known for his illustrations in publications such as Punch magazine and for his intricate etchings of rural scenes and landscapes.
While the name Shayer may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, it has left a notable imprint on history, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including commerce, craftsmanship, art, and agriculture, over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Shayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shayer 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 Shayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shayer
Shayer 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
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
+7 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,682 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-41 bearers (-27.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 34,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 2,682 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -41 bearers (-27.3%) | Down 34,004 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 Shayer 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 | #116,201 | #150,205 | -29.3% |
| Count | 150 | 109 | -27.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shayer bearers went from 150 to 109 (-27.3% change). The surname moved down 34,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #150,205.
FAQ
Shayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shayer?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Shayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Shayer?
Shayer ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Shayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shayer.
Has Shayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shayer went from 150 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 41 (-27.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,201 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Shayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shayer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Shayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Shayer (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 Shayer mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "scéacere", meaning "robber" or "plunderer". 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 Shayer (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Shayer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.