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

Shorkey, 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 Shorkey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shorkey in America

Shorkey is the 52970th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shorkey surname appeared 391 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 Shorkey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shorkey 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 Shorkey

The surname Shorkey has its roots in the Gaelic language and is believed to have originated in Ireland, likely during the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "scorach," which means "bitterness" or "sourness." Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the Irish word "scóraidhe," meaning "an explorer or wanderer."

One of the earliest known records of the name Shorkey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan scholars in the early 17th century. The annals mention a certain Domhnall Ó Scóráidhe, who lived in the 14th century and was a prominent member of the Uí Bhriain (O'Brien) clan in County Clare.

In the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Shorkye," appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal decrees and orders issued during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. These records suggest that the Shorkey surname was present in Ireland during this period.

Notable individuals with the surname Shorkey include:

1. Seamus Shorkey (1902-1979), an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Fermanagh county team in the 1920s and 1930s.

2. Patrick Shorkey (1856-1932), an Irish-American businessman who founded the Shorkey Brewing Company in Philadelphia in the late 19th century.

3. Mary Shorkey (1832-1904), an Irish immigrant to the United States who was one of the first female journalists in New York City, writing for Irish-American newspapers in the 1860s and 1870s.

4. John Shorkey (1785-1865), an Irish soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Canada, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.

5. Bridget Shorkey (1760-1842), an Irish rebel who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and was later imprisoned for her role in the uprising against British rule.

While the Shorkey surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shorkey

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

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

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

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