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

Shinn, 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 Shinn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shinn in America

Shinn is the 4424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shinn surname appeared 8,038 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Shinn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shinn 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 Shinn

The surname SHINN has its origins in the British Isles, specifically England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scinn," which means "shin" or "sharp." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person with a distinguishing physical characteristic or occupation related to sharpness or cutting.

In its early days, the name was predominantly found in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include Shyn, Schyn, and Schynne, which were variations commonly found in medieval records and parish registers.

One of the earliest documented references to the name SHINN can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, dated 1285, which mentions a John Schyn. Another notable early record is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a William Schynne.

During the 14th century, the name appears in various records across different regions of England. For instance, the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire mention a Thomas Schyn in 1347, while the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire from 1379 include a John Schynne.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name SHINN was Sir John Shinn, a prominent military commander who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. He was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield by King Henry V.

In the 16th century, the name SHINN was associated with several notable figures. William Shinn (1505-1572) was an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex. Another William Shinn (1545-1618) was a renowned scholar and translator who studied at Oxford University.

The 17th century saw the emergence of several SHINN families in different parts of England. One of the most notable was the SHINN family of Lincolnshire, whose ancestral home was the manor of Shinn Hall in the village of Gainsborough. This family produced several influential members, including Sir Robert Shinn (1628-1699), a Member of Parliament and judge.

As the name SHINN spread across the British Isles, it also found its way to other parts of the world through immigration and exploration. In the 18th century, several SHINN families settled in the American colonies, where the name took root and evolved into various spellings, such as Shinn, Shin, and Shen.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shinn

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

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

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

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