2000
#5,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Shirey
Derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "merry wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,763 Americans carry the last name Shirey. That puts it at #5,669 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shirey 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
6.8K
1 in 50,681
Census rank
#5,669
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,898 bearers of the surname Shirey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5669th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shirey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shirey
The surname Shirey has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word "scir," meaning "bright" or "shining." Alternatively, it may have originated from the Old English word "sciran," meaning "to divide or separate," which could have referred to a boundary or a piece of land.
In its early stages, the name was often spelled as "Shyre" or "Shire," reflecting its connection to the English counties or shires. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by individuals who lived near or worked on a particular shire or county boundary.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Shirey can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire, a census-like record from 1273. This document mentions a certain "Walter de la Shyre," indicating the presence of the surname in the region during that period.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Shirey surname. However, it does mention various place names with similar spellings, such as "Sciran" and "Scireburn," suggesting potential connections to the name's origin.
Notable individuals throughout history with the surname Shirey include:
1. John Shirey (c. 1550 - 1612), an English merchant and explorer who traveled to the Americas and is believed to have been among the first English settlers in Virginia.
2. William Shirey (1672 - 1745), a prominent landowner and politician in colonial Pennsylvania, known for his involvement in local government affairs.
3. Elizabeth Shirey (1792 - 1867), an American educator and philanthropist who founded several schools and orphanages in Ohio.
4. James Shirey (1819 - 1897), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
5. Emma Shirey (1884 - 1963), a British author and journalist who wrote extensively about women's rights and social issues in the early 20th century.
The Shirey surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Shirey Green in Oxfordshire and Shirey Hill in Shropshire, further highlighting its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shirey
Among Census respondents with the surname Shirey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shirey 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 Shirey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 5,420
- Two or more races3.7% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 172
- Black or African American0.6% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shirey
Shirey 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
#5,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,020
+191 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#5,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,898
-122 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,487 | 5,829 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,757 | 6,020 | 2.04 | +191 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #5,669 | 5,898 | 1.97 | -122 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 88 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 Shirey 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 | #5,757 | #5,669 | 1.5% |
| Count | 6,020 | 5,898 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.97 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shirey bearers went from 6,020 to 5,898 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,757 to #5,669.
FAQ
Shirey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shirey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,763 living Americans carry the surname Shirey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,681 residents.
How common is Shirey?
Shirey ranks #5,669 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,898 people with the surname Shirey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,763), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shirey.
Has Shirey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shirey went from 6,020 recorded bearers to 5,898. That is a decrease of 122 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,757 to #5,669.
What does the Census say about the background of Shirey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shirey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Shirey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (5,420 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shirey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Shirey (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 Shirey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "merry wood" in Old English. 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 Shirey (1.97 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 Shirey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.