2000
#6,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,886
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Uncommon Last name
Shi
A Chinese surname meaning "stone," "market," "scholar," or referring to a person's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,732 Americans carry the last name Shi. That puts it at #2,051 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,370 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shi 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 Shi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,370
Census rank
#2,051
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,207 bearers of the surname Shi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2051st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shi
The surname SHI originates from China, one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world. It can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), when it was a common surname among the Han Chinese ethnic group. The name SHI is derived from the Chinese word "shi," which means "scholar" or "gentleman."
In ancient China, the surname SHI was often associated with scholars, officials, and members of the educated elite. Many prominent figures in Chinese history bore this surname, including Shi Huang Di, the first emperor of a unified China, who ruled from 221-210 BC. Another notable figure was Shi Xie, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived during the Southern Qi Dynasty (479-502 AD).
The SHI surname can be found in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the Zizhi Tongjian, a pioneering reference work on Chinese history compiled in the 11th century. This surname also appears in the Jingxin Dadian, a comprehensive genealogical record of Chinese surnames and clans compiled during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
One of the earliest recorded examples of the SHI surname dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), when a scholar named Shi Chong lived. He was known for his expertise in the Confucian classics and served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
Another prominent figure bearing the SHI surname was Shi Nai'an, a writer and novelist who lived during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He is best known for his novel "Water Margin," a classic work of Chinese literature that depicts the lives of a group of outlaws during the Song Dynasty.
In the 20th century, Shi Zhecun was a renowned Chinese writer and literary critic who played a significant role in the development of modern Chinese literature. He was born in 1905 and died in 2003, leaving behind a rich literary legacy.
Shi Yukun, born in 1939, is a renowned Chinese artist and calligrapher who has made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Chinese art forms. His works have been widely exhibited and appreciated both within China and internationally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shi
Among Census respondents with the surname Shi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shi 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 Shi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.9% · 16,504
- White2.5% · 436
- Two or more races0.6% · 102
- Black or African American0.5% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shi
Shi 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
#3,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,055
+5,169 bearers (+105.8%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Up 2,864 places
2020
#2,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,207
+7,152 bearers (+71.1%)
Per 100,000 5.76
Rank movement Up 1,500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,415 | 4,886 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,551 | 10,055 | 3.41 | +5,169 bearers (+105.8%) | Up 2,864 places |
| 2020 | #2,051 | 17,207 | 5.76 | +7,152 bearers (+71.1%) | Up 1,500 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 Shi 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 | #3,551 | #2,051 | 42.2% |
| Count | 10,055 | 17,207 | 71.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 5.76 | 68.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shi bearers went from 10,055 to 17,207 (+71.1% change). The surname moved up 1,500 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,551 to #2,051.
FAQ
Shi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shi?
Name Census estimates that about 19,732 living Americans carry the surname Shi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,370 residents.
How common is Shi?
Shi ranks #2,051 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,207 people with the surname Shi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Shi.
Has Shi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shi went from 10,055 recorded bearers to 17,207. That is an increase of 7,152 (+71.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,551 to #2,051.
What does the Census say about the background of Shi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Shi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (16,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.9%), White (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Shi (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 Shi mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "stone," "market," "scholar," or referring to a person's place of origin. 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 Shi (5.76 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 Americans have the surname Shi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.