2000
#815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.35
Uncommon Last name
Shepard
An occupational surname referring to a guardian of sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,165 Americans carry the last name Shepard. That puts it at #928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,129 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shepard 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 Shepard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,129
Census rank
#928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,770 bearers of the surname Shepard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shepard
The surname Shepard is of English origin and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "sceaphierde," which means shepherd or sheep herder. This surname was originally an occupational name given to individuals who worked as shepherds, tending to and caring for flocks of sheep.
During the Middle Ages, shepherding was a crucial occupation, and the surname Shepard was commonly found in various regions of England. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scepeherde" and "Schepherde."
In the 13th century, the name was also documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and Huntingdonshire as "Schephurd" and "Schephird." These variations in spelling reflect the evolution of the English language over time.
One notable individual bearing this surname was John Shepard, a prominent English clergyman born in 1512. He served as the Bishop of Bangor from 1551 to 1555 and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in England.
Another historical figure was Thomas Shepard, an English Puritan minister born in 1605. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and became a prominent figure in the early colonial history of New England, serving as a minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In the literary world, Thomas Shepard (1605-1649) was an influential Puritan minister and author who wrote several notable works, including "The Sound Believer" and "The Sincere Convert." His writings had a profound impact on Puritan theology and spirituality in colonial New England.
Alan Shepard (1923-1998), an American astronaut and naval aviator, made history as the first American to travel into space. He piloted the Freedom 7 mission in 1961, becoming the second person and the first American to achieve spaceflight.
Another notable individual was Saidiya Hartman, a renowned American author and scholar born in 1959. Her works, such as "Scenes of Subjection" and "Lose Your Mother," have significantly contributed to the fields of African American literature and cultural studies.
While the surname Shepard has its roots in the English language and occupation, it has since spread worldwide and can be found in various cultural contexts, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shepard
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shepard 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 Shepard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 27,371
- Black or African American16.0% · 5,886
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,573
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,316
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 353
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 271
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shepard
Shepard 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
#882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,430
+725 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 13.37
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,770
-2,660 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 12.30
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #815 | 38,705 | 14.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #882 | 39,430 | 13.37 | +725 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #928 | 36,770 | 12.30 | -2,660 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 46 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 Shepard 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 | #882 | #928 | -5.2% |
| Count | 39,430 | 36,770 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.37 | 12.30 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shepard bearers went from 39,430 to 36,770 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #882 to #928.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shepard
FAQ
Shepard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shepard?
Name Census estimates that about 42,165 living Americans carry the surname Shepard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,129 residents.
How common is Shepard?
Shepard ranks #928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,770 people with the surname Shepard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Shepard.
Has Shepard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shepard went from 39,430 recorded bearers to 36,770. That is a decrease of 2,660 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #882 to #928.
What does the Census say about the background of Shepard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Shepard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (27,371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shepard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Shepard (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 Shepard mean?
An occupational surname referring to a guardian of sheep. 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 Shepard (12.30 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 have the last name Shepard?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Shepard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.