2000
#10,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Sheth
A Gujarati occupational surname referring to a merchant, banker, or moneylender.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,836 Americans carry the last name Sheth. That puts it at #6,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheth 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 Sheth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,731
Census rank
#6,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,089 bearers of the surname Sheth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheth
The surname SHETH is of Indian origin, specifically from the Gujarat region of western India. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century or earlier. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "shreshtha," which means "prosperous" or "eminent." It was initially used as a title or honorific for wealthy merchants and traders from the Sheth community in Gujarat.
The SHETH surname is closely associated with the Sheth caste, which emerged from the Bania or Vaishya community, traditionally involved in trade and commerce. In medieval times, the Sheths played a prominent role in the Indian Ocean maritime trade and established successful business ventures across the region.
One of the earliest recorded references to the SHETH surname can be found in the chronicles of the Sultanate of Gujarat, which ruled over the region from the 15th to the 16th century. These records mention influential Sheth merchants who were part of the court and advisors to the sultans.
Notable individuals with the SHETH surname include Narottam Sheth (1901-1986), an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Narottam Morarjee Group. Another prominent figure was Pranlal Sheth (1898-1963), a renowned Gujarati author and poet who played a significant role in the literary renaissance of Gujarat.
Jagmohandas Sheth (1925-2021) was a prominent marketing scholar and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, known for his contributions to the field of marketing theory and consumer behavior.
In the realm of sports, Dhiren Sheth (born 1967) is a former Indian cricketer who played domestic cricket for Gujarat and represented India in one Test match in 1990.
Raman Sheth (born 1962) is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist of Gujarati descent, known for his success in the real estate and hospitality industries, as well as his charitable work in the UK and India.
The SHETH surname has also been associated with various place names in Gujarat, such as Sheth Vanikpar and Sheth Vadar, which were once thriving centers of trade and commerce during the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheth
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheth 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 Sheth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.1% · 4,688
- White3.9% · 198
- Two or more races2.5% · 128
- Black or African American0.6% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheth
Sheth 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
#8,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,038
+1,187 bearers (+41.6%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 2,133 places
2020
#6,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,089
+1,051 bearers (+26.0%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 1,794 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,350 | 2,851 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,217 | 4,038 | 1.37 | +1,187 bearers (+41.6%) | Up 2,133 places |
| 2020 | #6,423 | 5,089 | 1.70 | +1,051 bearers (+26.0%) | Up 1,794 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 Sheth 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 | #8,217 | #6,423 | 21.8% |
| Count | 4,038 | 5,089 | 26.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.70 | 24.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheth bearers went from 4,038 to 5,089 (+26.0% change). The surname moved up 1,794 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,217 to #6,423.
FAQ
Sheth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheth?
Name Census estimates that about 5,836 living Americans carry the surname Sheth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,731 residents.
How common is Sheth?
Sheth ranks #6,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,089 people with the surname Sheth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,836), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sheth.
Has Sheth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheth went from 4,038 recorded bearers to 5,089. That is an increase of 1,051 (+26.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,217 to #6,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheth, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sheth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (4,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.1%), White (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sheth (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 Sheth mean?
A Gujarati occupational surname referring to a merchant, banker, or moneylender. 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 Sheth (1.70 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 surname Sheth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.