2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shearrow
An English surname derived from a medieval occupation involving shearing sheep or a maker of shears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Shearrow. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shearrow 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Shearrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shearrow
The surname SHEARROW is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that may have referred to a particular geographic feature or settlement.
One possible origin of the name is from the Old English words "scir" meaning bright or shining, and "hoh" meaning a heel or ridge of land. This suggests the name may have originally referred to a bright or shining ridge or hilltop. Alternatively, it could be derived from the Old English word "scear" meaning a plough or ploughshare, potentially indicating a connection to agricultural practices or lands.
Early recorded instances of the surname SHEARROW can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various county records and parish registers across England. One notable example is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Sherewe.
The SHEARROW name may also have connections to certain place names, such as Sherrow in Somerset or Sherrowe in Derbyshire. These locations could have influenced the spelling variations and regional distributions of the surname over time.
Among the earliest recorded bearers of the SHEARROW surname is William Sheroue, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1400. Another notable figure was Robert Sherowe, a landowner in Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
During the 16th century, the surname appears in various forms, including Sherrowe, Sherowe, and Sheroue. One example is John Sherrowe, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the Wills and Inventories of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in 1587.
In the 17th century, the SHEARROW surname can be found in various parish records and historical documents. For instance, Thomas Shearrow was recorded as a resident of Warwickshire in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674.
One notable bearer of the SHEARROW name was Sir Edward Shearrow (1618-1692), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King Charles II.
As the centuries progressed, the SHEARROW surname continued to be present in various regions of England, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including agriculture, commerce, and public service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shearrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shearrow 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 Shearrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino14.9% · 18
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shearrow
Shearrow 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-17 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,741 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 20,741 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,716 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 Shearrow 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 | #135,593 | #141,309 | -4.2% |
| Count | 124 | 121 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shearrow bearers went from 124 to 121 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,716 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #141,309.
FAQ
Shearrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shearrow?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Shearrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Shearrow?
Shearrow ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Shearrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Shearrow.
Has Shearrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shearrow went from 124 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Shearrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shearrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Shearrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shearrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Hispanic (14.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Shearrow (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 Shearrow mean?
An English surname derived from a medieval occupation involving shearing sheep or a maker of shears. 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 Shearrow (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 people are called Shearrow?
Want to know how many people have the last name Shearrow? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.