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

Shin, 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 Shin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shin in America

Shin is the 1656th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shin surname appeared 21,735 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Shin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shin 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 Shin

The surname SHIN is believed to have originated in Korea, where it has been a common family name for centuries. The name is derived from the Korean word "sin," which means "divine" or "sacred." It is thought to have been given to families associated with religious or spiritual roles in ancient Korean society.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHIN can be found in the Samguk Sagi, a historical text from the 12th century that chronicles the history of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The text mentions several prominent figures with the surname SHIN, including SHIN Sung-gyu, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in the 6th century.

During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), the SHIN family was known for producing many talented scholars and officials. One notable figure was SHIN Suk-ju (1407-1459), a renowned Confucian scholar and politician who served as a minister during the reign of King Sejo.

In the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), the SHIN family continued to play an important role in Korean society. SHIN Ryu (1491-1554) was a famous Neo-Confucian scholar and philosopher who contributed greatly to the development of Korean Confucian thought.

Another prominent figure was SHIN Hun (1539-1599), a military commander and scholar who played a crucial role in defending Korea against Japanese invasions in the late 16th century. He is celebrated as a national hero in Korean history.

In more recent times, SHIN Tae-yong (born 1970) is a well-known South Korean football coach who led the national team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

While the name SHIN is most commonly associated with Korea, it has also been found in other East Asian countries, such as China and Japan, where it may have been adopted or derived from the Korean name. However, the origins and history of the name in these regions are less well-documented.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shin

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

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

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

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