2000
#13,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Sherrard
A locational surname derived from places in England and Scotland, likely referring to a person who cut or trimmed cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,238 Americans carry the last name Sherrard. That puts it at #14,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherrard 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 Sherrard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,152
Census rank
#14,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,952 bearers of the surname Sherrard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherrard
The surname Sherrard originates from England, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, specifically in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "scir," meaning "bright" or "shining," and "geard," which refers to a yard or enclosure.
Historically, the name Sherrard was associated with individuals who lived near or owned a bright or shining enclosed area, possibly a farm or estate. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273, which mentions a Robert Shyreyerd.
In the 14th century, the name was recorded in various forms, such as Shyreyerd, Shyreyerd, and Shireyard, reflecting the variations in spelling during that time period. One notable example is William Shereyard, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1327.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Sherrard. However, it is possible that the name's origins can be traced back to individuals or places mentioned in that historical document.
Some individuals of note who bore the surname Sherrard throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Sherrard (c. 1580-1630), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Derby in the early 17th century.
2. William Sherrard (1659-1728), an English botanist and diplomat who served as the British Consul in Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey).
3. James Sherrard (1759-1831), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
4. William Sherrard (1833-1904), an English-born Australian politician and landowner, who served as a member of the South Australian Parliament.
5. Philip Henry Sherrard (1922-1995), a renowned British writer, translator, and scholar of Greek culture and Orthodox Christianity.
The surname Sherrard has also been associated with various place names, such as Sherrard in Nottinghamshire, England, and Sherrard Township in Pennsylvania, United States, which were likely named after individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherrard
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherrard 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 Sherrard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 1,647
- Black or African American6.6% · 128
- Two or more races3.9% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherrard
Sherrard 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
#13,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,172
+49 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 709 places
2020
#14,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
-220 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,194 | 2,123 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,903 | 2,172 | 0.74 | +49 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 709 places |
| 2020 | #14,640 | 1,952 | 0.65 | -220 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 737 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 Sherrard 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 | #13,903 | #14,640 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,172 | 1,952 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.65 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherrard bearers went from 2,172 to 1,952 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 737 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,903 to #14,640.
FAQ
Sherrard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherrard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,238 living Americans carry the surname Sherrard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,152 residents.
How common is Sherrard?
Sherrard ranks #14,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,952 people with the surname Sherrard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Sherrard.
Has Sherrard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherrard went from 2,172 recorded bearers to 1,952. That is a decrease of 220 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,903 to #14,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherrard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Sherrard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (1,647 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherrard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Sherrard (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 Sherrard mean?
A locational surname derived from places in England and Scotland, likely referring to a person who cut or trimmed cloth. 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 Sherrard (0.65 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 last name Sherrard?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Sherrard, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.