2000
#15,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,763
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Sheen
An anglicized Irish surname derived from Ó Síodhacháin, meaning "descendant of Síodhachán" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,024 Americans carry the last name Sheen. That puts it at #15,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheen 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 Sheen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,345
Census rank
#15,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,765 bearers of the surname Sheen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the name Sheen can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries.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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheen 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 Sheen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 1,105
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.2% · 409
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 81
- Black or African American3.9% · 69
- Two or more races3.8% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheen
Sheen 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
#14,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
+355 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,121 places
2020
#15,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,765
-353 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 1,707 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,299 | 1,763 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,178 | 2,118 | 0.72 | +355 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 1,121 places |
| 2020 | #15,885 | 1,765 | 0.59 | -353 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 1,707 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 Sheen 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 | #14,178 | #15,885 | -12.0% |
| Count | 2,118 | 1,765 | -16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.59 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheen bearers went from 2,118 to 1,765 (-16.7% change). The surname moved down 1,707 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,178 to #15,885.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sheen
FAQ
Sheen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,024 living Americans carry the surname Sheen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,345 residents.
How common is Sheen?
Sheen ranks #15,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,765 people with the surname Sheen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Sheen.
Has Sheen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheen went from 2,118 recorded bearers to 1,765. That is a decrease of 353 (-16.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,178 to #15,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.2%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Sheen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (1,105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (23.2%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Sheen (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 Sheen mean?
An anglicized Irish surname derived from Ó Síodhacháin, meaning "descendant of Síodhachán" (a personal name of unknown meaning). 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 Sheen (0.59 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 common is the surname Sheen?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Sheen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.