2000
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Sherrell
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "clear wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,851 Americans carry the last name Sherrell. That puts it at #12,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,222 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherrell 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 Sherrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 120,222
Census rank
#12,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,486 bearers of the surname Sherrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherrell
The surname Sherrell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the more common surname "Sherrill," which itself is derived from the Old English words "scir" meaning "bright" and "hyll" meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or on a bright or shining hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sherrell surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Schirehull." This provides evidence that the name was in use in England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Sherrell surname is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, where it is spelled "Schyrehill." This record dates back to 1384 and indicates that the name was present in the West Midlands region of England during this time.
An early notable bearer of the Sherrell surname was William Sherrell, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Wiltshire in 1520 and served as a Justice of the Peace in the county.
In the 17th century, the Sherrell name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Battersea, Surrey. One entry from 1678 records the baptism of a child named John Sherrell, son of William and Mary Sherrell.
Another significant figure with the Sherrell surname was Benjamin Sherrell, an English botanist and naturalist who lived during the 18th century. He was born in Bristol in 1723 and is known for his extensive collection of plant specimens from various parts of the world.
In the 19th century, the Sherrell name is found in the records of the East India Company, where it is associated with several individuals who served as officers and administrators in British India. One such person was Captain John Sherrell, who was born in 1801 and served in the Bengal Army.
Overall, the surname Sherrell has a long and diverse history, with roots that can be traced back to medieval England. While it may have originated as a descriptive name referring to a person's geographic location, it has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including members of the gentry, scientists, and military personnel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherrell 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 Sherrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 1,659
- Black or African American21.6% · 537
- Two or more races6.1% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherrell
Sherrell 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
#11,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
+131 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,486
-341 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,851 | 2,696 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,185 | 2,827 | 0.96 | +131 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #12,000 | 2,486 | 0.83 | -341 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 815 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 Sherrell 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 | #11,185 | #12,000 | -7.3% |
| Count | 2,827 | 2,486 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.83 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherrell bearers went from 2,827 to 2,486 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 815 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,185 to #12,000.
FAQ
Sherrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherrell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,851 living Americans carry the surname Sherrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,222 residents.
How common is Sherrell?
Sherrell ranks #12,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,486 people with the surname Sherrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Sherrell.
Has Sherrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherrell went from 2,827 recorded bearers to 2,486. That is a decrease of 341 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,185 to #12,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Sherrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (1,659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (21.6%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Sherrell (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 Sherrell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "clear wood" in Old English. 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 Sherrell (0.83 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 Sherrell?
You can see how many people have the last name Sherrell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.