2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shepphard
An English surname derived from the occupation of a shepherd or sheep herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Shepphard. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shepphard 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 Shepphard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Shepphard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepphard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.8%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shepphard
The surname Shepphard is of English origin, derived from the occupational name "shepherd," which referred to someone who tended sheep. The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early spellings including Schepherde and Scheperde.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shepphard is found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a Robert le Schepherde is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was in use during the medieval period in England.
The name Shepphard is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, it is recorded as Scepeherde, reflecting the Old English roots of the name.
During the 14th century, the surname Shepphard appeared in various records across England, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Johannes Shephird is listed.
Notable individuals with the surname Shepphard throughout history include:
1. Sir John Shepphard (c. 1515-1589), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Reigate during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. William Shepphard (c. 1594-1675), an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Faithful Shepherd" published in 1638.
3. Thomas Shepphard (1605-1658), an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of King Charles I.
4. Jane Shepphard (1643-1717), a renowned English herbalist and author of the book "The Family Herbal" published in 1686.
5. John Shepphard (1702-1768), an English landscape architect and garden designer, responsible for the design of several notable estates in the 18th century.
The name Shepphard has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Shepphard's Bush in Kent and Shepphard's Green in Hertfordshire, reflecting the occupational roots of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shepphard
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepphard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.8%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shepphard 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 Shepphard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.8% · 64
- White31.8% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shepphard
Shepphard 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,758 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,758 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 2,130 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 Shepphard 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 | #153,769 | #151,639 | 1.4% |
| Count | 106 | 107 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shepphard bearers went from 106 to 107 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 2,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #151,639.
FAQ
Shepphard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shepphard?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Shepphard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Shepphard?
Shepphard ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Shepphard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shepphard.
Has Shepphard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shepphard went from 106 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Shepphard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shepphard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.8%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shepphard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shepphard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.8%), White (31.8%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Shepphard (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 Shepphard mean?
An English surname derived from the occupation of a shepherd or sheep herder. 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 Shepphard (0.04 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 common is the surname Shepphard?
Find out how common the surname Shepphard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.