2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Sheed
A Scottish variant spelling of "Shead," derived from "shed," meaning parting or dividing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Sheed. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheed 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 Sheed with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Sheed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheed
The surname SHEED has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "scead," meaning a shed or shelter, suggesting that the name may have been adopted by someone who lived near or worked in a shed or similar structure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHEED can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from 1275, where a Johannes Schede is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in the West Midlands region of England.
In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as Shede and Sched, appeared in several historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire. These records often referred to people by their place of residence or occupation, indicating that the SHEED name may have been associated with specific locations or professions.
The SHEED surname has also been connected to various place names throughout England. For instance, the village of Shed in Buckinghamshire and the hamlet of Shede in Gloucestershire may have influenced the development of the name in those regions.
One notable individual with the surname SHEED was William Sheed (c. 1584-1663), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire and was known for his involvement in the English Civil War. Another person of historical significance was John Sheed (1770-1845), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Elgin Burghs in Scotland.
In the literary world, Wilfrid Sheed (1915-2002), an American novelist, essayist, and literary critic, gained recognition for his works, including "The Hack" and "People Will Always Be Kind." Additionally, Rosemary Sheed (1909-1989), an English writer and translator, made notable contributions to the field of literature.
The SHEED surname has also been associated with notable figures in the religious sphere, such as Cyril Sheed (1923-2003), an English-born American Catholic priest and author, and Frank Sheed (1897-1981), an Australian-born Catholic writer and publisher who co-founded the renowned publishing house Sheed & Ward.
While these examples highlight the historical presence of the SHEED surname in various fields and regions, it is essential to note that records and documentation from earlier periods may be incomplete or inaccurate, leaving room for further exploration and discovery about the origins and evolution of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheed
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheed 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 Sheed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.6% · 85
- White31.9% · 44
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheed
Sheed 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-23 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,720 places
2020
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+11 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,003 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 23,720 places |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 4,003 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 Sheed 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 | #133,048 | #129,045 | 3.0% |
| Count | 127 | 138 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheed bearers went from 127 to 138 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 4,003 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #129,045.
FAQ
Sheed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheed?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Sheed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Sheed?
Sheed ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Sheed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Sheed.
Has Sheed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheed went from 127 recorded bearers to 138. That is an increase of 11 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheed, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sheed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.6%), White (31.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Sheed (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 Sheed mean?
A Scottish variant spelling of "Shead," derived from "shed," meaning parting or dividing. 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 Sheed (0.05 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 last name Sheed?
See how many people are called Sheed on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.