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

Shen, 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 Shen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shen in America

Shen is the 2806th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shen surname appeared 12,839 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Shen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shen 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 Shen

The surname Shen originated in China, with records dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "shen," which means "deep" or "profound." The name is believed to have been adopted by families residing in the areas around the Yangtze River basin during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC).

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Shen can be found in the Shiji, a historical record written by Sima Qian during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). This work mentions a prominent scholar named Shen Buhai, who lived in the 4th century BC and is renowned for his contributions to the development of Legalist philosophy.

The Shen surname gained prominence during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), when several individuals bearing this name held influential positions in the imperial court. One notable figure was Shen Kuo (1031–1095), a polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, geology, and cartography.

During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the Shen family produced several accomplished scholars and officials. Shen Gua (1031–1095), a renowned scientist and statesman, is credited with writing the Mengxi Bitan, a influential book that covers a wide range of topics, from astronomy to architecture.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the Shen surname was associated with the renowned playwright Shen Jing (1553–1610), whose works were instrumental in shaping the development of Chinese opera and drama.

Another notable figure with the Shen surname was Shen Fuzong (1658–1738), a Qing Dynasty scholar and calligrapher who played a crucial role in the compilation of the renowned Siku Quanshu, one of the largest literary collections in Chinese history.

Throughout the centuries, the Shen surname has also been associated with various place names and locations across China, such as Shenyang, a major city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, and Shenzhen, a prominent metropolis in southern China.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shen

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

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

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

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