2000
#9,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Sher
A Persian and Jewish occupational surname referring to a lion or a brave, courageous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,049 Americans carry the last name Sher. That puts it at #11,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sher 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 Sher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,415
Census rank
#11,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,659 bearers of the surname Sher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sher, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sher
The surname SHER is believed to have originated in Persia (modern-day Iran) during the medieval period. It is derived from the Persian word "shir," which means "lion." This association with strength and courage suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon a person of great bravery or a warrior.
In the 13th century, records show the name SHER appearing in Persian manuscripts and chronicles, often referring to individuals of high social status or military leaders. One notable example is Amir Khusrau Sher, a renowned Persian poet and scholar who lived from 1253 to 1325.
As the Persian Empire expanded, the name SHER spread to other regions, including Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In India, the name gained prominence during the Mughal era, particularly among the ruling class and nobility. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan ruler who established the Sur Empire and reigned from 1540 to 1545.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SHER surname appeared in various historical documents and records across the Middle East and South Asia. In Turkey, for instance, the name Sher Ali was recorded in Ottoman archives from the late 16th century.
The SHER surname also found its way to Europe through trade and cultural exchange. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the name SHER in England, possibly immigrants or descendants of Persian or Indian merchants.
Some notable individuals with the surname SHER throughout history include:
1. Amir Khusrau Sher (1253-1325), Persian poet and scholar.
2. Sher Shah Suri (1486-1545), Afghan ruler and founder of the Sur Empire.
3. Sher Ali Khan (1825-1879), Emir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1879.
4. Sher Bahadur Deuba (born 1946), Nepali politician and former Prime Minister.
5. Sher Singh Rana (1889-1967), Indian civil servant and diplomat.
The surname SHER has undergone various spelling variations over time, such as Shir, Shyr, and Shyr, reflecting regional linguistic differences and influences. Additionally, the name has been associated with certain place names, such as Sher Khan Bandar, a town in Pakistan named after the 16th-century Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sher
Among Census respondents with the surname Sher, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sher 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 Sher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 1,951
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.5% · 519
- Two or more races4.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 64
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sher
Sher 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
#11,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,687
-580 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 2,489 places
2020
#11,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,659
-28 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,180 | 3,267 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,669 | 2,687 | 0.91 | -580 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 2,489 places |
| 2020 | #11,341 | 2,659 | 0.89 | -28 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 328 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 Sher 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 | #11,669 | #11,341 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,687 | 2,659 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.89 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sher bearers went from 2,687 to 2,659 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 328 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,669 to #11,341.
FAQ
Sher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sher?
Name Census estimates that about 3,049 living Americans carry the surname Sher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,415 residents.
How common is Sher?
Sher ranks #11,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,659 people with the surname Sher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sher.
Has Sher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sher went from 2,687 recorded bearers to 2,659. That is a decrease of 28 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,669 to #11,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Sher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sher, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Sher (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 Sher mean?
A Persian and Jewish occupational surname referring to a lion or a brave, courageous person. 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 Sher (0.89 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 share the surname Sher?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.