2000
#37,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Rare Last name
Sherpa
An ethnic group from Nepal known for their mountaineering skills and often serving as guides in the Himalayas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,936 Americans carry the last name Sherpa. That puts it at #7,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherpa 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 Sherpa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,440
Census rank
#7,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,304 bearers of the surname Sherpa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherpa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherpa
The surname "SHERPA" originates from Tibet, a region located in the Himalayan mountain range spanning parts of modern-day China, India, and Nepal. The name traces its roots back to the 15th century, derived from the Tibetan word "shār-pa," which translates to "people of the east."
The Sherpas are an ethnic group indigenous to the high altitudes of the Himalayas, renowned for their expertise in mountaineering and their role as guides and porters for expeditions in the region. The name "SHERPA" is closely tied to their nomadic lifestyle and their adaptation to the harsh conditions of the Himalayan terrain.
Historical records suggest that the Sherpas have inhabited the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal for centuries, with their traditional settlements situated in valleys and villages near the base of Mount Everest. The earliest known written mention of the Sherpas can be found in the travel accounts of Jesuit missionaries and Tibetan scholars from the 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "SHERPA" is Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986), a renowned Nepalese-Tibetan Sherpa mountaineer who, along with Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Tenzing Norgay's achievement brought global recognition to the Sherpa community and their invaluable contributions to mountaineering expeditions.
Another notable figure is Apa Sherpa (born c. 1960), a Nepali Sherpa mountaineer who holds the record for the most ascents of Mount Everest, having successfully summited the peak 21 times between 1990 and 2011. His remarkable achievements have earned him international acclaim and respect within the mountaineering community.
The name "SHERPA" has also been associated with various place names in the Himalayan region, such as the Sherpa villages of Namche Bazaar and Khumjung, as well as the Sherpa monastery of Tengboche, all located in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal.
Ang Rita Sherpa (1948-2021) was a legendary Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer, known for his numerous successful ascents of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. He summited Everest ten times, earning him the nickname "Snow Leopard."
Lhakpa Sherpa (born 1973) is a Nepali Sherpa mountaineer who holds the record for the most Mount Everest summits by a woman, having successfully reached the peak nine times between 2000 and 2018.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherpa
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherpa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherpa 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 Sherpa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.8% · 4,081
- White2.5% · 107
- Two or more races1.6% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherpa
Sherpa 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
#13,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,164
+1,610 bearers (+290.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 23,779 places
2020
#7,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,304
+2,140 bearers (+98.9%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 6,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,728 | 554 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,949 | 2,164 | 0.73 | +1,610 bearers (+290.6%) | Up 23,779 places |
| 2020 | #7,469 | 4,304 | 1.44 | +2,140 bearers (+98.9%) | Up 6,480 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 Sherpa 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 | #13,949 | #7,469 | 46.5% |
| Count | 2,164 | 4,304 | 98.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 1.44 | 97.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherpa bearers went from 2,164 to 4,304 (+98.9% change). The surname moved up 6,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,949 to #7,469.
FAQ
Sherpa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherpa?
Name Census estimates that about 4,936 living Americans carry the surname Sherpa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,440 residents.
How common is Sherpa?
Sherpa ranks #7,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,304 people with the surname Sherpa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Sherpa.
Has Sherpa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherpa went from 2,164 recorded bearers to 4,304. That is an increase of 2,140 (+98.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,949 to #7,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherpa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherpa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sherpa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (4,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherpa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.8%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Sherpa (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 Sherpa mean?
An ethnic group from Nepal known for their mountaineering skills and often serving as guides in the Himalayas. 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 Sherpa (1.44 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 Sherpa?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Sherpa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.