2000
#97,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Shivery
A surname derived from the word "shivery" meaning chilly or trembling with cold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Shivery. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shivery 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
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Shivery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shivery
The surname SHIVERY appears to have originated in England in the late 16th century. It may be derived from the Old English word "sciferan," which means "to shiver." This suggests that the name may have been originally applied as a nickname to someone who was prone to shivering or trembling.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname SHIVERY can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Chelmsford, Essex, where a John Shivery was baptized in 1597. Another early reference is in the court rolls of the manor of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire, which mention a William Shivery in 1612.
In the 17th century, the SHIVERY surname appeared to be concentrated primarily in the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, and Middlesex. This suggests that the name may have originated in the area around London and the Home Counties.
One of the earliest known bearers of the SHIVERY name was Thomas Shivery (1620-1698), a yeoman farmer from the village of Epping in Essex. His son, John Shivery (1655-1721), was a prominent landowner and served as a churchwarden in the parish of Waltham Abbey.
Another notable figure was Captain William Shivery (1675-1743), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was commended for his bravery in several engagements against the French and Spanish fleets.
In the 18th century, the SHIVERY surname began to spread more widely across England. One of the most well-known individuals with this name was Sir Robert Shivery (1723-1801), a Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire. He was a prominent supporter of the Whig party and a vocal critic of the policies of King George III.
By the 19th century, the SHIVERY surname had also established a presence in other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable bearer was William Shivery (1810-1883), a Scottish entrepreneur who founded a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Glasgow.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shivery
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shivery 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 Shivery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 161
- Two or more races2.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shivery
Shivery 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
-27 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 21,660 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
+27 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 10,043 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97,848 | 172 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | -27 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 21,660 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | +27 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 10,043 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 Shivery 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 | #119,508 | #109,465 | 8.4% |
| Count | 145 | 172 | 18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shivery bearers went from 145 to 172 (+18.6% change). The surname moved up 10,043 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #109,465.
FAQ
Shivery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shivery?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Shivery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Shivery?
Shivery ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 172 people with the surname Shivery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shivery.
Has Shivery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shivery went from 145 recorded bearers to 172. That is an increase of 27 (+18.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #119,508 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Shivery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shivery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Shivery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shivery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Shivery (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 Shivery mean?
A surname derived from the word "shivery" meaning chilly or trembling with cold. 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 Shivery (0.06 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 Shivery?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.