2000
#14,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Sheard
An English occupational surname referring to someone who shears sheep or cuts cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,353 Americans carry the last name Sheard. That puts it at #14,058 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sheard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,667
Census rank
#14,058
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,052 bearers of the surname Sheard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14058th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheard
The surname SHEARD is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "sceard," which means a gap, crevice, or opening in a hedge or fence. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHEARD can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where it appears as "Sherde." This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century and may have been an occupational name for someone who lived near a gap or opening in a hedge or fence.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname SHEARD appeared in various records across Yorkshire, with variations in spelling such as "Sherde," "Shard," and "Shearde." One notable figure from this period was John Sheard (c. 1580-1650), a wool merchant and landowner from Huddersfield, Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, the SHEARD surname began to spread beyond Yorkshire, with records showing families bearing this name in other parts of England. One prominent individual from this era was Samuel Sheard (1737-1808), a Baptist minister and author from Northamptonshire.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many SHEARD families migrated from rural areas to urban centers in search of employment. Notable figures from this period include Joseph Sheard (1809-1887), a successful industrialist and businessman from Leeds, and Eliza Sheard (1829-1903), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights from Sheffield.
Throughout the 20th century, the SHEARD name continued to be found across England, as well as in countries with large British diaspora populations, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some notable individuals from this era include Sir Henry Sheard (1883-1962), a British businessman and philanthropist, and Sir Oliver Sheard (1908-1992), a British politician and member of Parliament.
While the SHEARD surname has evolved over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the northern counties of England, where it originated as a descriptive name related to the Old English word "sceard." Throughout its history, the name has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, ministers, industrialists, educators, and political figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheard
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheard 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 Sheard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.6% · 998
- White40.7% · 836
- Two or more races5.8% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheard
Sheard 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
#14,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
+234 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 331 places
2020
#14,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,052
-83 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,415 | 1,901 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,084 | 2,135 | 0.72 | +234 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 331 places |
| 2020 | #14,058 | 2,052 | 0.69 | -83 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 26 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 Sheard 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 | #14,084 | #14,058 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,135 | 2,052 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheard bearers went from 2,135 to 2,052 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,084 to #14,058.
FAQ
Sheard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,353 living Americans carry the surname Sheard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,667 residents.
How common is Sheard?
Sheard ranks #14,058 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,052 people with the surname Sheard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Sheard.
Has Sheard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheard went from 2,135 recorded bearers to 2,052. That is a decrease of 83 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,084 to #14,058.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sheard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.6% (998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.6%), White (40.7%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Sheard (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 Sheard mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who shears sheep or cuts cloth. 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 Sheard (0.69 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 Sheard?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Sheard at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.