2000
#422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,840
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.89
Uncommon Last name
Sherman
Derived from a place name meaning "bright stream" or an occupational name for a shearer of woolen garments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 76,081 Americans carry the last name Sherman. That puts it at #493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherman 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 Sherman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
76K
1 in 4,505
Census rank
#493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
66K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 66,346 bearers of the surname Sherman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherman
The surname Sherman has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 11th century as an occupational name for a shearer of woollen cloth. It is derived from the Old English word "schere", meaning to cut or shear, combined with the agent suffix "mann", which denoted a person who did that occupation.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be Sceremongere, found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry is thought to refer to a person who dealt in sheared wool or cloth.
In the 12th century, the name took on various spellings such as Scherman, Shyreman, and Shurman, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. By the 13th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, with records showing instances of Sherman and Shearman.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Shyreman, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202. Another early reference is to a William Shermanne, mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1293.
The Sherman name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. These include:
1. Roger Sherman (1721-1793), an American statesman and one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
2. William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), an American soldier who played a crucial role in the Union's victory in the American Civil War and is known for his "March to the Sea" campaign.
3. James Schoolcraft Sherman (1855-1924), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 27th Vice President of the United States under President William Howard Taft.
4. Stuart Sherman (1881-1926), an American literary critic and professor at the University of Illinois, known for his work on the study of American literature.
5. Lowell Sherman (1888-1934), an American actor, director, and playwright who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and early Hollywood films.
The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Sherman, Connecticut, and Sherman County in several U.S. states, which were likely named after prominent individuals bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherman
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherman 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 Sherman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 52,967
- Black or African American11.5% · 7,614
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,360
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,191
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 677
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 537
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherman
Sherman 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
#469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,502
+662 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 23.90
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,346
-4,156 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 22.20
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #422 | 69,840 | 25.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #469 | 70,502 | 23.90 | +662 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #493 | 66,346 | 22.20 | -4,156 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 24 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 Sherman 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 | #469 | #493 | -5.1% |
| Count | 70,502 | 66,346 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 23.90 | 22.20 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherman bearers went from 70,502 to 66,346 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #469 to #493.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sherman
FAQ
Sherman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherman?
Name Census estimates that about 76,081 living Americans carry the surname Sherman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,505 residents.
How common is Sherman?
Sherman ranks #493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 66,346 people with the surname Sherman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (76,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Sherman.
Has Sherman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherman went from 70,502 recorded bearers to 66,346. That is a decrease of 4,156 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #469 to #493.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherman, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Sherman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (52,967 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Sherman (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 Sherman mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bright stream" or an occupational name for a shearer of woolen garments. 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 Sherman (22.20 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 Sherman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.