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

Shirts, 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 Shirts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shirts in America

Shirts is the 51512th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shirts surname appeared 404 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shirts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shirts 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 Shirts

The surname "Shirts" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "scyrtan," which referred to a type of garment worn over the outer layer of clothing. This word eventually evolved into the modern English term "shirt."

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1199, where a person named Robert Schirte is mentioned. This document provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Shurte" and "Schyrte," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England, includes entries for individuals with the surnames "Schurte" and "Shurte."

During the 14th century, the surname began to take on its more modern spelling of "Shirts." This can be seen in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which list a Thomas Shirtis from Cambridgeshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 also mention a John Shyrtes from Oxfordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname "Shirts" throughout history include:

1. William Shirts (c. 1460 - 1537), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
2. Robert Shirts (c. 1540 - 1621), an English landowner and Justice of the Peace in Gloucestershire.
3. Elizabeth Shirts (c. 1580 - 1652), an English Puritan author and poet known for her religious writings.
4. Samuel Shirts (1674 - 1738), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
5. John Shirts (1720 - 1799), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada.

The surname "Shirts" is also associated with several place names in England, such as Shirtley in Derbyshire and Shirtliffe in Yorkshire, which may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in certain regions.

While the surname "Shirts" is not among the most common surnames in England, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period, reflecting the occupational and descriptive origins of many English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shirts

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

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

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

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