2000
#1,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.13
Uncommon Last name
Sheldon
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with steep sides" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,014 Americans carry the last name Sheldon. That puts it at #1,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheldon 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 Sheldon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,311
Census rank
#1,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,325 bearers of the surname Sheldon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheldon
The surname Sheldon originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Sheldon, which itself comes from the Old English words "scylf" meaning bank or ridge, and "dun" meaning hill. The name was originally used to refer to someone who lived near a ridged hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sheldon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sceldedune" in reference to a place in Warwickshire. Over time, the spelling evolved to Sheldon, with variations such as Sheldun, Sheldoun, and Sheldone.
The Sheldons were a prominent family in Warwickshire and Staffordshire during the Middle Ages. Sir Ralph Sheldon (c. 1537-1609) was a notable figure who served as a Member of Parliament and built the grand Sheldon Manor in Weston, Warwickshire.
Another notable Sheldon was Gilbert Sheldon (1598-1677), an English clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. He played a significant role in the restoration of the Church of England after the English Civil War.
In the literary world, Richard Sheldon (1599-1663) was an English poet and translator who is best known for his translation of the works of Seneca.
The Sheldon family also had connections to the American colonies. Isaac Sheldon (1650-1735) was an early settler in Massachusetts, arriving in the late 17th century. He and his descendants played significant roles in the development of the region.
Ralph Sheldon (1609-1684) was an English inventor and engineer who is credited with developing the first flushing water closet, a predecessor to the modern toilet.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals bearing the surname Sheldon throughout history, highlighting its long-standing presence in various regions and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheldon
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheldon 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 Sheldon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 16,119
- Two or more races4.2% · 770
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 685
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 281
- Black or African American1.5% · 273
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 197
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheldon
Sheldon 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
#1,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,339
+93 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 6.56
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#1,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,325
-1,014 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 6.13
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,708 | 19,246 | 7.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,855 | 19,339 | 6.56 | +93 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #1,926 | 18,325 | 6.13 | -1,014 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 71 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 Sheldon 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 | #1,855 | #1,926 | -3.8% |
| Count | 19,339 | 18,325 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.56 | 6.13 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheldon bearers went from 19,339 to 18,325 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,855 to #1,926.
FAQ
Sheldon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheldon?
Name Census estimates that about 21,014 living Americans carry the surname Sheldon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,311 residents.
How common is Sheldon?
Sheldon ranks #1,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,325 people with the surname Sheldon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,014), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Sheldon.
Has Sheldon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheldon went from 19,339 recorded bearers to 18,325. That is a decrease of 1,014 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,855 to #1,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheldon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheldon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sheldon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (16,119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheldon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sheldon (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 Sheldon mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with steep sides" in Old English. 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 Sheldon (6.13 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 are called Sheldon?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Sheldon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.