2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sheary
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "siar" meaning westerly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Sheary. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheary 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Sheary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheary, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheary
The surname "SHEARY" is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "seiride," which means "a keeper or herd of cattle." The name first emerged in the region of County Tipperary, Ireland, during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instance of the name "SHEARY" dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest, a collection of legal documents from the reign of the Tudor monarchs in Ireland. These records mention various individuals bearing the name, such as John Sheary, who was granted lands in County Tipperary in the year 1588.
In the 17th century, the name "SHEARY" can be found in the Petty Census of 1659, which was a comprehensive survey of the population of Ireland conducted by Sir William Petty. This census recorded several Sheary families residing in County Tipperary and neighboring regions.
One notable individual with the surname "SHEARY" was Patrick Sheary (1763-1843), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of Maynooth College, a prominent seminary in County Kildare, Ireland, during the early 19th century.
Another historically significant figure was John Sheary (1801-1879), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for County Tipperary from 1857 to 1865. He played a significant role in advocating for Catholic rights and land reform in Ireland during the mid-19th century.
In the late 19th century, the name "SHEARY" appeared in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, a detailed record of the topography, history, and folklore of various regions in Ireland. These memoirs mentioned several places with names derived from or related to the surname, such as Sheary's Cross and Sheary's Well, both located in County Tipperary.
Other notable individuals with the surname "SHEARY" include Michael Sheary (1869-1945), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Sheary Ice Cream Company in New York City, and Eileen Sheary (1910-1989), an Irish actress and singer who performed in numerous stage productions and films throughout the mid-20th century.
The surname "SHEARY" continues to be prevalent in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Waterford, reflecting its strong historical roots in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheary
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheary, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheary 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 Sheary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 108
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheary
Sheary 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,193 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-17 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,575 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4,193 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 16,575 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 Sheary 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 | #131,379 | #147,954 | -12.6% |
| Count | 129 | 112 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheary bearers went from 129 to 112 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 16,575 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #147,954.
FAQ
Sheary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheary?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Sheary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Sheary?
Sheary ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Sheary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Sheary.
Has Sheary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheary went from 129 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheary, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are 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 Sheary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), 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 Sheary (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 Sheary mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "siar" meaning westerly. 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 Sheary (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 have the surname Sheary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.