Find out how popular the last name Sheen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sheen.

Sheen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sheen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sheen in America

Sheen is the 14178th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sheen surname appeared 2,118 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sheen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sheen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sheen

The surname Sheen is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "scinan," which means "to shine" or "to glitter." This name was likely given to someone who had a bright or radiant appearance or personality.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Sheen can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Robert Schene in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1332 list a William Shene in Somerset. These early spellings, such as Schene and Shene, were variations of the modern Sheen.

In some cases, the name Sheen may have been derived from various place names in England, such as Sheen in Surrey or Sheene in Staffordshire. These place names were likely derived from the same Old English word "scinan," referring to a shining or bright area.

One notable historical figure with the surname Sheen was John Sheen, a 15th-century English cleric and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1450 to 1459.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Sheen (c. 1459-1526), an English courtier and soldier who served under King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. He was knighted for his military services and held various positions, including Lieutenant of the Tower of London.

In the 16th century, Edward Sheen (c. 1520-1572) was an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Choristers at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.

During the 17th century, Sir Matthew Sheen (1628-1688) was an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1687-1688.

Sir Martin Sheen (born 1940) is a well-known American actor of Spanish descent, whose birth name was Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez. He adopted the stage name Sheen for his acting career, which includes roles in films such as "Apocalypse Now" and "The Departed."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sheen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sheen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sheen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sheen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sheen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sheen, please contact us.

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