Find out how popular the last name Shew is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shew.

Shew, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shew surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shew in America

Shew is the 12485th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shew surname appeared 2,485 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shew.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shew to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shew

The surname SHEW is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sciowe," which meant a bush or a thicket. This name was likely adopted as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked in a bushy or wooded area.

Records from the 16th century show the name spelled in various ways, including Shew, Shewe, Shue, and Shoo. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the parish records of Wiltshire, England, where a John Shew was mentioned in 1567.

In the 17th century, the SHEW surname appeared in several historical documents, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662 and the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642. These records provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution of the name during that period, with SHEW families recorded in counties like Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Dorset.

One notable individual with the surname SHEW was William Shew, born in 1639 in Somerset, England. He was a prominent Quaker minister and author, known for his religious writings and his advocacy for religious tolerance.

Another significant figure was Sarah Shew, born in 1788 in Gloucestershire, England. She was a pioneer in the field of education and founded one of the earliest schools for girls in the United States, the Shew Seminary in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 1818.

In the 19th century, the SHEW surname continued to spread across different regions of England. One example is John Shew, born in 1825 in Wiltshire, who served as a member of parliament for Gloucestershire from 1868 to 1880.

Moving into the 20th century, one notable bearer of the SHEW surname was Sir Walter Shew, born in 1892 in Somerset. He was a prominent British diplomat and served as the Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1945 to 1950.

Another noteworthy individual was Elizabeth Shew, born in 1920 in Dorset, England. She was a renowned artist and sculptor, known for her abstract works and her contributions to the British art scene in the latter half of the 20th century.

While the SHEW surname remains relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its English origins and the various individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shew

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shew.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shew was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shew has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shew was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shew, please contact us.

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