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

Shephard, 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 Shephard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shephard in America

Shephard is the 5105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shephard surname appeared 6,859 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Shephard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shephard 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 Shephard

The surname Shephard is of English origin and derives from the Old English word "sceaphyrde," which means "shepherd" or someone who tends to sheep. It is an occupational surname, indicating that the original bearer of the name was likely a shepherd by profession.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in various parts of England, particularly in rural areas where sheep farming was a common occupation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Scepherde."

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to appear in various forms, such as "Sheppard," "Shepard," and "Shepperd," reflecting the differences in pronunciation and spelling patterns across different regions of England.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Robert Shepherd (c. 1195-1268), a medieval English chronicler and monk who wrote the "Chronica Maiorum et Vicecomitum Londoniarum," a chronicle of the mayors and sheriffs of London.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name became more widely distributed across England, with some variations in spelling emerging. For example, in the town of Ipswich, Suffolk, the name was often spelled "Sheppard," while in Lincolnshire, it was commonly spelled "Shephard."

William Shepherd (c. 1554-1623) was an English clergyman and theologian who served as the rector of Bocking, Essex, and published several religious works, including "The Times Displayed in Six Books" and "The Whole Office of the Holy Week."

In the 17th century, the surname was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled "Schipherd" or "Schippert." One notable bearer of the name from this period was James Shepherd (1616-1696), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the principal of the University of St. Andrews.

Another notable figure with the surname Shephard was Thomas Shephard (1605-1649), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of Harvard College in Massachusetts. He was born in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, and later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The surname Shephard has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Shephard's Hill in Hertfordshire, Shephard's Well in Warwickshire, and Shephard's Farm in Kent, further highlighting the name's connection to rural areas and occupations related to sheep farming.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shephard

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

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

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

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