2000
#4,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,658
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.47
Rare Last name
Shivers
An occupational surname for someone who splits wood shingles or strips bark from trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,592 Americans carry the last name Shivers. That puts it at #5,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shivers 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 Shivers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,147
Census rank
#5,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,621 bearers of the surname Shivers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shivers
The surname Shivers is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Shivershall, located in the county of Shropshire. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "sciferan" and "halh," which together mean "a nook or recess in a slope."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sciuershal." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records as "Shivershale" and "Shivershale," reflecting the evolution of the spelling over time. During this period, the name was primarily associated with families living in the region around Shivershall.
Notable bearers of the Shivers surname include John Shivers, a prominent merchant from London who lived in the late 16th century. Another early bearer of the name was William Shivers, a landowner from Shropshire who was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1672.
In the 18th century, the name gained broader recognition with the exploits of Captain Henry Shivers, a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). He was known for his bravery and leadership in several naval battles against the French.
Another significant figure was Elizabeth Shivers (1828-1898), an English author and activist who wrote extensively on women's rights and social reform. Her work played a crucial role in advancing the cause of women's suffrage in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the Shivers name was Constance Shivers (1909-1986), an American sculptor and artist. Her works were exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States, cementing her reputation as a prominent figure in the American art scene.
The Shivers surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Shiversmill and Shiverstown, both located in Pennsylvania, United States. These place names further reflect the geographic spread of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shivers
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shivers 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 Shivers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.2% · 3,192
- Black or African American42.7% · 2,830
- Two or more races5.1% · 339
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shivers
Shivers 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
#5,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,939
+281 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#5,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,621
-318 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,836 | 6,658 | 2.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,052 | 6,939 | 2.35 | +281 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #5,117 | 6,621 | 2.22 | -318 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 65 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 Shivers 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 | #5,052 | #5,117 | -1.3% |
| Count | 6,939 | 6,621 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.22 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shivers bearers went from 6,939 to 6,621 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,052 to #5,117.
FAQ
Shivers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shivers?
Name Census estimates that about 7,592 living Americans carry the surname Shivers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,147 residents.
How common is Shivers?
Shivers ranks #5,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.22 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 6,621 people with the surname Shivers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.22 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 Shivers.
Has Shivers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shivers went from 6,939 recorded bearers to 6,621. That is a decrease of 318 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,052 to #5,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Shivers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivers, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shivers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (3,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shivers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.2%), Black (42.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shivers (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 Shivers mean?
An occupational surname for someone who splits wood shingles or strips bark from trees. 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 Shivers (2.22 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 Americans have the surname Shivers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.