2000
#6,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Shealy
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the hut or shelter," from Old English "scielfe" or "scylfe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,994 Americans carry the last name Shealy. That puts it at #7,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shealy 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
5.0K
1 in 68,633
Census rank
#7,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,355 bearers of the surname Shealy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shealy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shealy
The surname Shealy is believed to have originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Low German word "schele," which means "squinting" or "cross-eyed." This likely referred to a distinguishing physical characteristic of one of the earliest bearers of the name, which was then passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shealy name can be found in the records of the town of Koblenz, located along the Rhine River in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. A record from the year 1489 mentions a certain Johannes Schele, who may have been one of the first individuals to carry the surname.
As the surname spread throughout Germany, it underwent various spelling changes, including Schele, Scheele, and Scheele. These variations were common due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling rules at the time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many German families, including those bearing the Shealy surname, immigrated to North America, particularly to the British colonies along the eastern seaboard. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Jacob Shealy, who was born in Germany around 1720 and later settled in Pennsylvania.
In the United States, the Shealy surname has been particularly prominent in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and South Carolina. Several individuals with this last name have made significant contributions throughout history, including:
1. John Shealy (1795-1879), a prominent lawyer and politician from South Carolina who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1829.
2. Mary Shealy (1784-1852), an American pioneer and early settler in Kentucky, known for her role in defending her family's homestead during an attack by Native Americans in 1789.
3. Martin Shealy (1820-1895), a farmer and businessman from Newberry County, South Carolina, who served as a captain in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
4. William Shealy (1860-1937), an American businessman and philanthropist from Lexington County, South Carolina, who donated land and funds for the establishment of several schools and churches in the area.
5. Jacob Shealy (1832-1905), a minister and educator from Pennsylvania, who served as the president of Ursinus College, a liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, from 1892 to 1904.
While the Shealy surname has its roots in Germany, it has become well-established in various parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states, where many early German immigrants settled and made significant contributions to their communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shealy
Among Census respondents with the surname Shealy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shealy 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 Shealy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 3,845
- Black or African American6.3% · 273
- Two or more races3.0% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shealy
Shealy 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
#7,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,620
-81 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 589 places
2020
#7,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,355
-265 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,635 | 4,701 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,224 | 4,620 | 1.57 | -81 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 589 places |
| 2020 | #7,381 | 4,355 | 1.46 | -265 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 157 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 Shealy 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 | #7,224 | #7,381 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,620 | 4,355 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.46 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shealy bearers went from 4,620 to 4,355 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,224 to #7,381.
FAQ
Shealy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shealy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,994 living Americans carry the surname Shealy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,633 residents.
How common is Shealy?
Shealy ranks #7,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,355 people with the surname Shealy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Shealy.
Has Shealy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shealy went from 4,620 recorded bearers to 4,355. That is a decrease of 265 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,224 to #7,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Shealy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shealy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Shealy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (3,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shealy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Shealy (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 Shealy mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the hut or shelter," from Old English "scielfe" or "scylfe." 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 Shealy (1.46 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 Shealy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.