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

Shell, 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 Shell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shell in America

Shell is the 2696th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shell surname appeared 13,369 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Shell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shell 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 Shell

The surname SHELL is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the late 12th century. It likely derived from the Old English word "scyll," which means a shell or a covering. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a shelly beach or who worked with shells in some capacity, such as a shell-gatherer or a shell-seller.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1196, where a Richard Shelle is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a William Schelle in Oxfordshire. These early spellings, such as Shelle and Schelle, reflect the variations in spelling that were common during the Middle Ages before standardization occurred.

The SHELL surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Shell in Derbyshire and Shell Park in Essex. These place names may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname in certain regions.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire, where a John Shelle is recorded in 1327. The Poll Tax returns of 1379 also list a Thomas Shelle in Yorkshire.

One notable bearer of the SHELL surname was Sir Richard Shell (c.1510-1589), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Shell (1677-1759), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Winchester in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, John Shell (1833-1905) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.

The famous American writer and playwright Rachel Crothers (née Shell, 1878-1958) was also born with the SHELL surname.

Sir Alfred Shell (1894-1971), a British civil engineer and industrialist, played a crucial role in the development of the Royal Navy's synthetic fuel program during World War II.

These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the SHELL surname, spanning various fields and regions over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shell

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

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

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

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