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

Shield, 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 Shield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shield in America

Shield is the 21583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shield surname appeared 1,209 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shield 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 Shield

The surname SHIELD is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scield," meaning a protective piece of armor or defense. It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when surnames began to become common practice in England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHIELD name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England compiled during the reign of King Edward I. This document mentions a person named John le Shelde, which is likely an early spelling variation of the SHIELD surname.

Throughout the centuries, the SHIELD surname has been associated with individuals who may have been involved in military or defensive occupations, such as shield makers, soldiers, or those tasked with protecting others. However, it is also possible that the name could have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly skilled or adept at using a shield in battle or other protective situations.

In the 15th century, the SHIELD surname appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from a prominent English family during the Wars of the Roses. One of the letters, dated around 1472, mentions a person named John Shelde, likely a member of the SHIELD family.

Notable individuals with the SHIELD surname throughout history include:

1. William Shield (1748-1829), an English composer and violinist who wrote numerous operas, concertos, and other musical works during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

2. John Shield (c. 1600-1668), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War and later became a member of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate government.

3. Henry Shield (1804-1865), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former King's College Hospital and the Grosvenor Hotel.

4. Richard Shield (1859-1944), a British painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations for books and magazines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

5. Catherine Shield (1927-2021), an American author and academic who wrote several critically acclaimed novels and taught literature at various universities, including Princeton and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The SHIELD surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Shield Hill in Northumberland and Shield Row in County Durham, both of which may have derived their names from individuals with the SHIELD surname who lived or held land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shield

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

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 Shield 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 Shield 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 Shield was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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