2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Shefsky
A surname of Jewish origin derived from the Polish town of Szafswal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Shefsky. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shefsky 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Shefsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shefsky
The surname SHEFSKY is believed to have originated from the Russian Empire, specifically in the areas that are now modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. It likely emerged in the late 18th or early 19th century, derived from the Slavic root words "shef" or "shyf," which were used as occupational surnames for cobblers or shoemakers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHEFSKY surname can be found in the Revision Lists, which were census-like records compiled by the Russian Imperial government to account for male populations eligible for military service or taxation. The name appears in these records from the 1850s onwards, primarily concentrated in the Pale of Settlement regions where many Jewish communities resided at the time.
While no definitive historical figures bearing the SHEFSKY surname have been widely documented, there are a few notable individuals worth mentioning. Lev Shefsky (1891-1965) was a Russian-born American artist and illustrator known for his work in the early 20th century. Abe Shefsky (1896-1976) was a professional baseball player who played in the minor leagues during the 1920s.
The SHEFSKY surname has also been connected to certain place names, particularly in Eastern Europe. For instance, the village of Shefske (or Shefsko) in present-day Belarus may have served as a geographic origin for some families with this surname. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Shefski or Shefski, have been observed in historical records.
As the SHEFSKY surname spread beyond its Eastern European roots, it surfaced in other parts of the world, often through migration and immigration patterns. Notable individuals include Yuri Shefsky (1924-2002), a Russian-born Canadian architect who designed several iconic buildings in Toronto, and Max Shefsky (1908-1998), an American lawyer and philanthropist based in Chicago.
It is worth noting that while the SHEFSKY surname may have originated from a specific occupational or geographic context, its meaning and significance have evolved over time, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who bear this name across various cultural and national backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shefsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Shefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shefsky 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 Shefsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shefsky
Shefsky appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 1,229 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 Shefsky 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 | #157,234 | #156,005 | 0.8% |
| Count | 103 | 99 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shefsky bearers went from 103 to 99 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 1,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,005.
FAQ
Shefsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shefsky?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Shefsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Shefsky?
Shefsky ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Shefsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Shefsky.
Has Shefsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shefsky went from 103 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Shefsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shefsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Shefsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shefsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Shefsky (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 Shefsky mean?
A surname of Jewish origin derived from the Polish town of Szafswal. 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 Shefsky (0.03 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 Shefsky?
You can see how many people have the last name Shefsky on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.