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

Shifman, 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 Shifman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shifman in America

Shifman is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shifman surname appeared 231 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 Shifman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shifman 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 Shifman

The surname SHIFMAN has its origins traced back to the Yiddish language, which was historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe. The name likely derives from the Yiddish word "shifer," meaning a slate or slate-maker, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the production or trade of slate materials.

The earliest recorded instances of the SHIFMAN surname can be found in various historical records from the 18th and 19th centuries, predominantly in regions such as Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, where significant Jewish populations resided. One notable example is Yakov SHIFMAN, a merchant from the city of Berdichev, Ukraine, who was mentioned in a trade register from the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, the SHIFMAN surname began to spread more widely across Eastern Europe and Russia due to the migration patterns of Jewish communities. Notable individuals bearing this name include Isaac SHIFMAN, a renowned Rabbi and scholar from Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania), who lived from 1815 to 1891.

As the 20th century approached, the SHIFMAN surname found its way to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora movements. One notable figure was David SHIFMAN, a Russian-born American chess grandmaster who was born in 1957 and achieved numerous accolades in his career.

Another significant individual was Mikhail SHIFMAN, a prominent Russian theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum chromodynamics. He was born in 1949 and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors for his work.

In the literary realm, Lev SHIFMAN, a Russian writer and journalist born in 1929, gained recognition for his works exploring the experiences of Soviet Jews during the 20th century.

While the SHIFMAN surname may have originated from humble beginnings in the slate-making trade, it has since been carried by individuals who have made notable contributions across various fields, reflecting the diverse journeys and accomplishments of those who bear this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shifman

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

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

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

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