2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shorman
A variant English surname derived from the Middle English "shore" meaning "a ditch" or "trench."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Shorman. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shorman 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 Shorman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Shorman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shorman
The surname Shorman has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "scorre" meaning a sharer or divisor, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests the name may have originally referred to a person whose occupation involved dividing or sharing resources or land.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1275, where a John Shorman is mentioned. The name is believed to have originated in the East Midlands region of England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
In the 14th century, the name Shorman can be found in various manuscripts and records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Robert Shorman is mentioned in 1348. This suggests the name had spread to other parts of northern England by that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Shorman, who was born in Nottinghamshire around 1420. He was a prominent landowner and served as a magistrate in the county during the latter part of the 15th century.
The name Shorman has also been associated with place names in England, such as Shorman's Green in Derbyshire, which is first mentioned in records from the 16th century. This suggests that some branches of the Shorman family may have taken their name from the places they lived or owned land.
In the 17th century, the name Shorman appears in various parish records and court documents across England. Notable individuals from this period include John Shorman (1621-1689), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, and Richard Shorman (1654-1726), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Nottinghamshire.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Shorman name continued to be found in various parts of England, with individuals such as Thomas Shorman (1742-1814), a farmer and landowner in Derbyshire, and Elizabeth Shorman (1789-1867), a philanthropist and social reformer from Nottinghamshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Shorman include Sir William Shorman (1832-1911), a British industrialist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for a constituency in Nottinghamshire, and Arthur Shorman (1871-1945), a renowned architect and designer who was responsible for several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shorman
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shorman 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 Shorman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 8
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shorman
Shorman 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-14 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,326 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+15 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,460 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 23,326 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 12,460 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 Shorman 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 | #153,769 | #141,309 | 8.1% |
| Count | 106 | 121 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shorman bearers went from 106 to 121 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 12,460 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #141,309.
FAQ
Shorman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shorman?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Shorman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Shorman?
Shorman ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Shorman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shorman.
Has Shorman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shorman went from 106 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 15 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Shorman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Shorman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shorman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (6.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Shorman (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 Shorman mean?
A variant English surname derived from the Middle English "shore" meaning "a ditch" or "trench." 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 Shorman (0.04 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 people share the surname Shorman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.