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

Shively, 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 Shively surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shively in America

Shively is the 5018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shively surname appeared 7,000 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Shively.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shively 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 Shively

The surname Shively is believed to have originated in Germany. It is thought to be a habitational name, derived from a place name meaning "sloping ridge" or "slanting surface." This name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century, and was initially spelled in various ways, such as Schiefel, Schieffle, or Schieffel.

Early recorded examples of the name can be found in medieval German records and documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Schieffel, who was born in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Bavaria, in the late 14th century.

As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, it evolved into different spellings, including Shively, Shiveley, and Shivley. Over time, some branches of the family anglicized the name to its current spelling of Shively.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named Johannes Shively was a prominent Lutheran theologian and author in Saxony. He was born in 1635 and published several influential works on religious doctrine and philosophy.

Another early bearer of the name was Peter Shively, a German immigrant to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. He settled in York County and established a successful farming community that became known as Shively's Settlement.

In the 19th century, William Shively (1818-1895) was a prominent businessman and industrialist in Ohio. He founded the Shively Foundry, which manufactured agricultural equipment and machinery.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Shively was Elijah Shively (1846-1917), a Union Army veteran and influential politician in Kansas. He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas from 1897 to 1899.

While the name has experienced some variations in spelling over the centuries, the core derivation and meaning of Shively have remained consistent, tracing back to its origins as a habitational name in medieval Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shively

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

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

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

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