2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sherril
A surname derived from the Old English 'scir' meaning bright or fair, and 'hyll' meaning hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Sherril. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherril 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Sherril in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherril, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherril
The surname Sherril is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "scir" meaning "bright" or "shining" and "hyll" meaning "hill." This combination suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived on or near a prominent, brightly illuminated hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Willelmus de Scirhill" in the county of Derbyshire. This entry provides evidence that variations of the name were already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population prior to the Norman conquest.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into various spellings such as "Sherhill," "Sherryll," and "Sherrill." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. During this period, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire.
Notable figures with the surname Sherril include Sir John Sherrill (1476-1544), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Sherrill (1537-1612), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London.
In the 17th century, the Sherril family gained further recognition with the birth of Richard Sherrill (1612-1689), a prominent theologian and author who served as the Bishop of Bangor. His works on religious philosophy and doctrine were highly influential during his lifetime.
Moving into the 18th century, the name gained additional prominence with the achievements of Sir Robert Sherrill (1732-1809), a distinguished naval officer who rose to the rank of Admiral in the British Royal Navy. He played a crucial role in several significant naval battles during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
As the Sherril surname spread throughout the British Isles and beyond, it continued to be associated with individuals of notable accomplishments. One such example is the American poet and novelist, Rachel Sherrill (1866-1938), whose works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human experience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherril
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherril, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherril 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 Sherril surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 82
- Black or African American22.6% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherril
Sherril 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+9 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,315 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-31 bearers (-21.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,904 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 1,315 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-21.2%) | Down 26,904 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 Sherril 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 | #118,853 | #145,757 | -22.6% |
| Count | 146 | 115 | -21.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherril bearers went from 146 to 115 (-21.2% change). The surname moved down 26,904 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #145,757.
FAQ
Sherril surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherril?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Sherril. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Sherril?
Sherril ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Sherril. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sherril.
Has Sherril become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherril went from 146 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 31 (-21.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherril?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherril, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Sherril in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherril appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (22.6%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Sherril (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 Sherril mean?
A surname derived from the Old English 'scir' meaning bright or fair, and 'hyll' meaning hill. 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 Sherril (0.04 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 Sherril?
See how many people have the surname Sherril on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.