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

Shekleton, 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 Shekleton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shekleton in America

Shekleton is the 115034th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shekleton surname appeared 152 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shekleton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shekleton 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 Shekleton

The surname SHEKLETON is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire, during the medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is likely derived from the Old English words "scec" or "sceac," meaning a thicket or small wood, and "tun," meaning an enclosure or village. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area or settlement.

One of the earliest known references to the SHEKLETON name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a person named William Shekylton is listed. The name also appears in various other historical records from Yorkshire, such as parish registers and manorial rolls, with spelling variations including Shekylton, Shekylston, and Shekylstone.

In the 16th century, the SHEKLETON surname can be found in the records of the town of Guisborough in Yorkshire, where a family of that name held land and properties. One notable member was John SHEKLETON, who was born around 1520 and served as a magistrate and landowner in Guisborough.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the SHEKLETON name spread to other parts of England, as well as to Scotland and Ireland. In 1687, a man named Robert SHEKLETON was recorded as a freeman of the city of York, indicating his right to trade and participate in civic affairs.

One of the most famous individuals with the SHEKLETON surname was Sir Ernest SHEKLETON, the renowned British Antarctic explorer. Born in 1874 in County Kildare, Ireland, he led several expeditions to the Antarctic region in the early 20th century, including the famous Endurance expedition of 1914-1917.

Other notable figures with the SHEKLETON surname include:

1. William SHEKLETON (1792-1871), a British civil engineer and surveyor who worked on various railway projects in England.
2. Mary SHEKLETON (1827-1903), an English author and poet known for her works on nature and rural life.
3. John SHEKLETON (1868-1944), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the SHEKLETON Trust for charitable purposes.
4. Elizabeth SHEKLETON (1901-1988), a British actress who appeared in several films and television shows in the mid-20th century.

While the SHEKLETON name has its roots in Yorkshire, it has become more widespread throughout the English-speaking world, with descendants of the original families now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shekleton

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

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 Shekleton 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 Shekleton 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 Shekleton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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