Shern last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Shern

A surname possibly derived from the Saxon word "sceran" meaning "to shear" or "to clip".

Shern, 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 Shern surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shern in America

Shern is the 82317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shern surname appeared 229 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shern.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shern 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 82317 77222 6.39%
Count 229 231 -0.87%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.09 -11.76%

The history of the last name Shern

The surname SHERN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words 'scir' meaning bright or shining, and 'ærn' meaning house or dwelling. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a bright or well-lit house or residence.

The earliest recorded instances of the name SHERN can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records and tax rolls from the southern regions of England. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Shern, a knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-14th century.

In the 15th century, the SHERN surname appeared in the records of the town of Shrewsbury, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in some cases. During this time, a William Shern was recorded as a landowner in the nearby village of Shrawardine.

The SHERN name also has a connection to the village of Shernborne in Norfolk, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is possible that some bearers of the SHERN surname may have originated from this area or taken their name from the village.

One notable bearer of the SHERN surname was Sir Walter Shern, a Member of Parliament who represented Oxfordshire in the 16th century. In the 17th century, a Thomas Shern was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SHERN surname spread across various regions of England and even to other parts of the British Isles. Robert Shern, born in 1745, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor who patented several innovative clock designs. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Shern, a pioneering educator who founded a school for girls in London in the early 19th century.

Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the SHERN surname has left its mark on English history and culture, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shern

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

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 Shern was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 76.86% 176
Non-Hispanic Black Only 17.90% 41
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 3.93% 9
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Shern has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 76.86% 72.73% 5.52%
Black 17.90% 21.21% -16.93%
Asian and Pacific Islander 3.93% 4.33% -9.69%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Shern last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 25, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/shern-surname-popularity/.

"Shern last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/shern-surname-popularity/. Accessed 25 September, 2025

Shern last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/shern-surname-popularity/.

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