2000
#64,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Rare Last name
Shergill
A historical surname of Punjabi origin, indicating one's ancestry from the Sher clan or group.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,177 Americans carry the last name Shergill. That puts it at #25,259 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 291,210 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shergill 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 Shergill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 291,210
Census rank
#25,259
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,026 bearers of the surname Shergill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25259th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shergill, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shergill
The surname Shergill has its origins in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, tracing back several centuries. It is believed to have derived from the village of Shergill, located in the present-day Sangrur district of Punjab, India. The name is a combination of two words – "Sher" meaning lion or tiger, and "Gill" meaning village or settlement.
During the Mughal era, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the Shergill surname gained prominence among the Jatt community, a dominant agricultural and landholding group in the region. The name is closely associated with the Sikh faith, as many Shergills embraced Sikhism during its formative years.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shergill name can be found in the "Sikh Rehat Maryada," a canonical text outlining the Sikh code of conduct, which mentions a Shergill family residing in the village of Shergill during the late 17th century. The name is also mentioned in various historical chronicles and manuscripts documenting the events and personalities of the Sikh Empire.
In the 18th century, the Shergill clan played a significant role in the rise of the Sikh confederacies, known as the Misls. Sardar Jassa Singh Shergill (1713-1767) was a prominent Sikh military leader and founder of the Ramgarhia Misl, one of the most powerful Sikh states during that era.
Another notable figure was Bhai Sahib Bhai Naudh Singh Shergill (1658-1705), a revered Sikh scholar and preacher who is credited with establishing the first Sikh educational institution, known as the Sikh Missionary College in the village of Shergill.
In the 20th century, Sardar Bahadur Sardar Hukam Singh Shergill (1894-1965) was a distinguished Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and played a crucial role in the drafting of the Indian Constitution.
Gurbachan Singh Shergill (1935-2001) was a renowned Punjabi folk singer and songwriter, renowned for his contributions to the Punjabi literary and cultural scene. His compositions often celebrated the valor and resilience of the Punjabi people.
Shergill remains a prominent surname among the Sikh community in Punjab, India, and the Punjabi diaspora around the world, carrying a rich legacy of historical significance and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shergill
Among Census respondents with the surname Shergill, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shergill 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 Shergill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.8% · 942
- White3.6% · 37
- Two or more races3.3% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shergill
Shergill 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
#46,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 456
+167 bearers (+57.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 17,738 places
2020
#25,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,026
+570 bearers (+125.0%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 21,388 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,385 | 289 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,647 | 456 | 0.15 | +167 bearers (+57.8%) | Up 17,738 places |
| 2020 | #25,259 | 1,026 | 0.34 | +570 bearers (+125.0%) | Up 21,388 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 Shergill 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 | #46,647 | #25,259 | 45.9% |
| Count | 456 | 1,026 | 125.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.34 | 128.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shergill bearers went from 456 to 1,026 (+125.0% change). The surname moved up 21,388 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,647 to #25,259.
FAQ
Shergill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shergill?
Name Census estimates that about 1,177 living Americans carry the surname Shergill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 291,210 residents.
How common is Shergill?
Shergill ranks #25,259 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,026 people with the surname Shergill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Shergill.
Has Shergill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shergill went from 456 recorded bearers to 1,026. That is an increase of 570 (+125.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #46,647 to #25,259.
What does the Census say about the background of Shergill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shergill, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shergill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (942 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shergill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (91.8%), White (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Shergill (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 Shergill mean?
A historical surname of Punjabi origin, indicating one's ancestry from the Sher clan or group. 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 Shergill (0.34 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 surname Shergill?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.