2000
#1,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.96
Uncommon Last name
Shipley
A locational surname derived from places in West Yorkshire or Derbyshire, England, referring to a "sheep pasture or clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,264 Americans carry the last name Shipley. That puts it at #1,901 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shipley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shipley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,119
Census rank
#1,901
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,543 bearers of the surname Shipley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1901st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shipley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shipley
Among Census respondents with the surname Shipley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shipley 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 Shipley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 16,357
- Two or more races4.2% · 787
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 611
- Black or African American2.9% · 542
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shipley
Shipley 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
#1,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,563
+793 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 6.63
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,543
-1,020 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 6.20
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,748 | 18,770 | 6.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,831 | 19,563 | 6.63 | +793 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,901 | 18,543 | 6.20 | -1,020 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 70 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 Shipley 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 | #1,831 | #1,901 | -3.8% |
| Count | 19,563 | 18,543 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.63 | 6.20 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shipley bearers went from 19,563 to 18,543 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,831 to #1,901.
FAQ
Shipley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shipley?
Name Census estimates that about 21,264 living Americans carry the surname Shipley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,119 residents.
How common is Shipley?
Shipley ranks #1,901 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,543 people with the surname Shipley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Shipley.
Has Shipley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shipley went from 19,563 recorded bearers to 18,543. That is a decrease of 1,020 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,831 to #1,901.
What does the Census say about the background of Shipley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shipley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Shipley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (16,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shipley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Shipley (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 Shipley mean?
A locational surname derived from places in West Yorkshire or Derbyshire, England, referring to a "sheep pasture or clearing." 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 Shipley (6.20 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 many Americans have the surname Shipley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.