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

Shiner, 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 Shiner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shiner in America

Shiner is the 15127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shiner surname appeared 1,949 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Shiner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shiner 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 Shiner

The surname Shiner is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scinnere," which referred to a person who worked as a shiner or polisher of various objects, particularly metalwork or armor. This occupation-based surname dates back to the 13th century and was most prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a "William le Schinnere." The Shiner name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, listing a "Thomas Schyner."

During the medieval period, the Shiner surname was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Schinner," "Schyner," or "Shynner." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

In terms of historical references, the Shiner surname is notably absent from the Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting that the name emerged later, likely as the occupation of metal polishing became more widespread.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Shiner surname was Roger Shiner, a prominent merchant from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Another individual of note was Sir John Shiner (1535-1608), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the Shiner surname gained some prominence with the birth of Richard Shiner (1628-1688), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts. During the same period, John Shiner (1650-1715) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

Moving into the 18th century, James Shiner (1725-1798) was a notable English engraver and printmaker, whose works are held in prestigious collections such as the British Museum.

As the surname Shiner continued to spread across England and beyond, it became associated with various professions and walks of life, from skilled artisans to academics and public figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shiner

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

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

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

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