2000
#14,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,818
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Shippy
An occupational surname referring to a person who built or worked on ships.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,319 Americans carry the last name Shippy. That puts it at #14,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shippy 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,803
Census rank
#14,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,022 bearers of the surname Shippy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shippy
The surname Shippy has its roots in England, originating in the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scip," meaning ship, which was later anglicized to "ship." This suggests that the name may have been adopted by individuals who were involved in maritime activities or lived near a harbor or port.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shippy can be found in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire in 1379, where a person named John Shippy was listed. The surname also appears in various historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1524, where a Thomas Shippy is mentioned.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Shippy was concentrated in the coastal regions of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. This further supports the theory that the name was associated with maritime activities or coastal settlements.
Notable individuals with the surname Shippy include Richard Shippy (1640-1712), a merchant and landowner from Norfolk, who played a significant role in the local community. Another notable figure was William Shippy (1721-1783), a renowned shipbuilder from Essex, whose vessels were highly sought after for their quality and craftsmanship.
In the 19th century, the Shippy name gained prominence with the birth of Sir James Shippy (1815-1892), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of West Norfolk. He was known for his advocacy of social reforms and his support for the working class.
Another prominent individual was Dr. Elizabeth Shippy (1856-1931), a pioneering female physician from Essex. She was one of the first women to receive a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh and dedicated her life to improving healthcare for women and children in underprivileged communities.
The Shippy name has also been documented in various regions of the United States, particularly in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, where many English immigrants settled in the 18th and 19th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Captain John Shippy (1788-1860), a veteran of the War of 1812 and a respected community leader in Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shippy
Among Census respondents with the surname Shippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shippy 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 Shippy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 1,520
- Black or African American18.8% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 53
- Two or more races2.6% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shippy
Shippy 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
#14,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,988
+170 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#14,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,022
+34 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,932 | 1,818 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,881 | 1,988 | 0.67 | +170 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #14,253 | 2,022 | 0.68 | +34 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 628 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 Shippy 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 | #14,881 | #14,253 | 4.2% |
| Count | 1,988 | 2,022 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.68 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shippy bearers went from 1,988 to 2,022 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 628 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,881 to #14,253.
FAQ
Shippy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shippy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,319 living Americans carry the surname Shippy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,803 residents.
How common is Shippy?
Shippy ranks #14,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,022 people with the surname Shippy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shippy.
Has Shippy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shippy went from 1,988 recorded bearers to 2,022. That is an increase of 34 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,881 to #14,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Shippy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shippy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Shippy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (1,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shippy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (18.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Shippy (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 Shippy mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who built or worked on ships. 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 Shippy (0.68 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 common is the surname Shippy?
You can see how common the surname Shippy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.