2000
#9,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Shearin
An Irish occupational surname referring to a wool shearer or someone who shears sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,197 Americans carry the last name Shearin. That puts it at #10,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shearin 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
3.2K
1 in 107,211
Census rank
#10,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,788 bearers of the surname Shearin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shearin
The surname Shearin is of Scottish origin, specifically from the Lowlands region. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "schera," meaning a reaper or one who harvests crops. This suggests that the ancestors of those bearing the Shearin name were likely involved in agricultural work, particularly during the harvesting season.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Scherar, Scherar, Schereir, and Scheirers. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the swearing of allegiance to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name "John le Scherer" is listed among those who pledged their loyalty.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Shearin surname was prevalent in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. Notable individuals from this period include Robert Shearer, a merchant in Glasgow who was granted a coat of arms in 1672, and John Shearer, a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation movement in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, the Shearin name can be found in various parish records and historical documents. For instance, James Shearin, born in 1734 in Ayrshire, was a successful farmer and landowner. Another notable individual was William Shearin, born in 1756 in Lanarkshire, who served as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries passed, the Shearin name spread beyond Scotland, with many bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of John Shearin, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
In the 19th century, several individuals bearing the Shearin surname made significant contributions to various fields. Alexander Shearin, born in 1812 in Ayrshire, was a renowned poet and author, while Thomas Shearin, born in 1834 in Lanarkshire, was a respected educator and advocate for educational reform.
Throughout its history, the Shearin surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, including farmers, merchants, soldiers, writers, and educators. While the name has evolved in its spelling over the centuries, its Scottish roots and connections to the agricultural heritage of the Lowlands region remain a defining aspect of its origins and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shearin
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shearin 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 Shearin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 1,920
- Black or African American23.6% · 659
- Two or more races3.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shearin
Shearin 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
#9,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,399
+423 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 429 places
2020
#10,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
-611 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,992 | 2,976 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,563 | 3,399 | 1.15 | +423 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 429 places |
| 2020 | #10,915 | 2,788 | 0.93 | -611 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 1,352 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 Shearin 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 | #9,563 | #10,915 | -14.1% |
| Count | 3,399 | 2,788 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.93 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shearin bearers went from 3,399 to 2,788 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 1,352 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,563 to #10,915.
FAQ
Shearin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shearin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,197 living Americans carry the surname Shearin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,211 residents.
How common is Shearin?
Shearin ranks #10,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,788 people with the surname Shearin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Shearin.
Has Shearin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shearin went from 3,399 recorded bearers to 2,788. That is a decrease of 611 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,563 to #10,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Shearin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Shearin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (1,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shearin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.9%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Shearin (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 Shearin mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a wool shearer or someone who shears sheep. 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 Shearin (0.93 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 share the surname Shearin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.