2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Shimansky
A surname of Ukrainian/Russian origin, possibly derived from the root "shim" meaning felt or felt hat maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 195 Americans carry the last name Shimansky. That puts it at #110,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,757,715 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shimansky 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.
Bearers in the US
195
1 in 1,757,715
Census rank
#110,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
170
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 170 bearers of the surname Shimansky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 110517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shimansky
The surname Shimansky is of Russian origin, emerging in the 19th century from the region around Moscow. It is derived from the Russian word "shiman," which means "rascal" or "rogue." This suggests the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname for someone with a mischievous or roguish personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shimansky surname can be found in the Russian Census of 1897, where a family by that name is listed as residing in the city of Tver, northwest of Moscow. It's likely the name had already been in use for several generations by that point.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure with the Shimansky surname was Ivan Shimansky, a Russian revolutionary who was active in the Bolshevik movement between 1905 and 1917. He was born in 1875 in the village of Staraya Russa and was executed by the Tsarist regime in 1917 for his involvement in revolutionary activities.
Another individual of note was Mikhail Shimansky, a Russian composer and pianist who lived from 1889 to 1957. He is best known for his piano compositions and for founding the Leningrad Conservatory's piano department, where he taught for many years.
In the realm of Russian literature, the name appears in the works of prominent authors like Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anton Chekhov, though usually as minor characters or background figures rather than central protagonists.
Tracing further back in history, there are records of a landowner named Yuri Shimansky who lived in the late 18th century near the city of Smolensk. His estate and lands were passed down through several generations of Shimanskyskys until they were eventually confiscated during the Bolshevik Revolution.
While not a commonly encountered surname outside of Russia and the former Soviet republics, the Shimansky name has a long and varied history within that region, with roots stretching back to at least the 18th century. Its journey from a descriptive nickname to a fully-fledged surname reflects the rich tapestry of Russian culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shimansky
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shimansky 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 Shimansky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 153
- Two or more races4.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shimansky
Shimansky 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
#106,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
+15 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 1,469 places
2020
#110,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170
+2 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,421 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,096 | 168 | 0.06 | +15 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,469 places |
| 2020 | #110,517 | 170 | 0.06 | +2 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 4,421 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 Shimansky 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 | #106,096 | #110,517 | -4.2% |
| Count | 168 | 170 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shimansky bearers went from 168 to 170 (+1.2% change). The surname moved down 4,421 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,096 to #110,517.
FAQ
Shimansky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shimansky?
Name Census estimates that about 195 living Americans carry the surname Shimansky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,757,715 residents.
How common is Shimansky?
Shimansky ranks #110,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 170 people with the surname Shimansky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shimansky.
Has Shimansky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shimansky went from 168 recorded bearers to 170. That is an increase of 2 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #106,096 to #110,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Shimansky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimansky, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shimansky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shimansky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Shimansky (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 Shimansky mean?
A surname of Ukrainian/Russian origin, possibly derived from the root "shim" meaning felt or felt hat maker. 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 Shimansky (0.06 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 common is the surname Shimansky?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Shimansky, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.