2000
#14,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Shires
A locational surname referring to someone who lived in or came from a shire or county.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,014 Americans carry the last name Shires. That puts it at #15,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 170,186 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shires 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 Shires with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 170,186
Census rank
#15,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,756 bearers of the surname Shires in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shires
The surname Shires has its origins in England, tracing back to the 11th century and the Norman Conquest. It derives from the Old English word "scir," meaning a shire or county, which was used to refer to administrative divisions of land. The name likely arose as a way to identify people who were prominent figures or landowners within a particular shire or county.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shires can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property conducted under the order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book contains references to individuals with the surname Shires, indicating their presence in various shires across England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Shires appeared in various historical documents, such as tax rolls, court records, and parish registers. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Sir John Shires, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century, and William Shires, a wealthy merchant who was granted a coat of arms in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Shires was often spelled differently, with variations such as Shyre, Shyre, and Sheire appearing in records. This reflects the fluid nature of surname spellings during that period, as standardization had not yet been established.
One notable figure with the surname Shires was Sir Robert Shires, a Member of Parliament and landowner in Leicestershire, who lived from 1540 to 1612. Another was Thomas Shires, a wealthy wool merchant and benefactor who funded the construction of a school in Stratford-upon-Avon in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the spelling of the name became more consistent, with the current form of Shires becoming predominant. During this time, several individuals with the surname Shires gained prominence, including John Shires, a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and William Shires, a prominent Puritan minister and author.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Shires continued to be associated with various professions and social classes. Some notable figures include Sir George Shires, a successful industrialist and philanthropist who lived from 1785 to 1867, and Emily Shires, a celebrated author and poet who was born in 1832.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shires
Among Census respondents with the surname Shires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shires 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 Shires surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 1,591
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 68
- Two or more races3.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shires
Shires 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
#14,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,056
+134 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#15,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,756
-300 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 1,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,292 | 1,922 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,507 | 2,056 | 0.70 | +134 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #15,961 | 1,756 | 0.59 | -300 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 1,454 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 Shires 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 | #14,507 | #15,961 | -10.0% |
| Count | 2,056 | 1,756 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.59 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shires bearers went from 2,056 to 1,756 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 1,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,507 to #15,961.
FAQ
Shires surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shires?
Name Census estimates that about 2,014 living Americans carry the surname Shires. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 170,186 residents.
How common is Shires?
Shires ranks #15,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,756 people with the surname Shires. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,014), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Shires.
Has Shires become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shires went from 2,056 recorded bearers to 1,756. That is a decrease of 300 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,507 to #15,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Shires?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shires, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Shires in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (1,591 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shires appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Shires (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 Shires mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived in or came from a shire or county. 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 Shires (0.59 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 people have the surname Shires?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.