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

Shipley, 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 Shipley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shipley in America

Shipley is the 1831st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shipley surname appeared 19,563 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 Shipley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shipley 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 Shipley

The surname Shipley is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name derived from the various places called Shipley, primarily located in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Shropshire.

One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Scipeleia." This spelling suggests that the name may have been derived from the Old English words "scipu" (sheep) and "leah" (clearing or meadow), indicating that the original bearers of the name lived in a clearing or meadow where sheep grazed.

The name Shipley has been associated with various historical figures over the centuries. One notable example is William Shipley (1714-1803), a renowned English drawing master and founder of the Society of Arts, which later became the Royal Society of Arts.

Another prominent individual was Jonathan Shipley (1714-1788), an English prelate who served as the Bishop of St. Asaph and later as the Bishop of St. Albans. He was known for his support of the American Colonies during the American Revolution.

In literature, the name Shipley appears in the works of Charles Dickens, particularly in his novel "The Pickwick Papers," where one of the characters is named Nathaniel Winkle, a member of the Pickwick Club from Shipley.

John Shipley (c. 1470-1559) was an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Mary I for refusing to accept the Act of Supremacy.

Another notable figure was Abraham Shipley (1773-1857), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Bahamas from 1813 to 1828.

The name Shipley has also been associated with various place names, such as Shipley in West Yorkshire, which was once a center for the wool trade and textile industry. Other places bearing the name include Shipley in Derbyshire and Shipley in Shropshire.

While the surname Shipley may have evolved over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, reflecting the rich history and heritage of the English language and its locational surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shipley

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

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

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

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