2000
#3,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.27
Uncommon Last name
Shen
A Chinese surname meaning "deep" or "profound," or referring to the god of the Yellow River.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,019 Americans carry the last name Shen. That puts it at #1,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shen 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 Shen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,307
Census rank
#1,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,330 bearers of the surname Shen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shen
Among Census respondents with the surname Shen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shen 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 Shen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.9% · 17,203
- White3.1% · 574
- Two or more races2.0% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 113
- Black or African American0.4% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shen
Shen 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
#2,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,839
+4,007 bearers (+45.4%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Up 884 places
2020
#1,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,330
+5,491 bearers (+42.8%)
Per 100,000 6.13
Rank movement Up 881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,690 | 8,832 | 3.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,806 | 12,839 | 4.35 | +4,007 bearers (+45.4%) | Up 884 places |
| 2020 | #1,925 | 18,330 | 6.13 | +5,491 bearers (+42.8%) | Up 881 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 Shen 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 | #2,806 | #1,925 | 31.4% |
| Count | 12,839 | 18,330 | 42.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.35 | 6.13 | 41.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shen bearers went from 12,839 to 18,330 (+42.8% change). The surname moved up 881 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,806 to #1,925.
FAQ
Shen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shen?
Name Census estimates that about 21,019 living Americans carry the surname Shen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,307 residents.
How common is Shen?
Shen ranks #1,925 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 18,330 people with the surname Shen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,019), 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 Shen.
Has Shen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shen went from 12,839 recorded bearers to 18,330. That is an increase of 5,491 (+42.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,806 to #1,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Shen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shen, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (17,203 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.9%), White (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Shen (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 Shen mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "deep" or "profound," or referring to the god of the Yellow River. 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 Shen (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 Americans have the surname Shen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.