2000
#4,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Rare Last name
Shorter
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor who cut fabric to specific measurements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,396 Americans carry the last name Shorter. That puts it at #4,189 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shorter 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 Shorter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,479
Census rank
#4,189
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,194 bearers of the surname Shorter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4189th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shorter
The surname SHORTER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'sceort' meaning 'short' or 'small'. It was initially used as a descriptive nickname to distinguish a person of shorter stature from others within the same community. The name first emerged in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Records from the Domesday Book of 1086 indicate that the name was present in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Lincolnshire. Early spellings of the name included Schort, Schurte, and Schorte, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SHORTER was William le Schort, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1200. Another notable bearer of the name was John Shorter, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol, who lived during the 15th century (c. 1420-1489).
In the 16th century, the SHORTER surname was found in various parts of England, including Hertfordshire, where the village of Shorter's Green derived its name from the family. Sir John Shorter (1558-1628), a prominent merchant and Lord Mayor of London, was born in this village.
The SHORTER family also had connections to the county of Yorkshire, where they held lands in the parish of Scorton. One member of this branch was Sir Samuel Shorter (1619-1688), a Member of Parliament and a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the SHORTER family made notable contributions in various fields. Sir Robert Shorter (1646-1707) was a renowned physician and Fellow of the Royal Society, while Edward Shorter (1677-1747) was a prominent architect responsible for designing several churches and buildings in London.
In the literary realm, Dora Shorter (1866-1954) was a notable English writer and suffragist, best known for her works on women's rights and education. She was also a founder of the Girton College Newnham Association, which supported women's higher education.
Throughout its history, the surname SHORTER has been associated with various professions and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shorter
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shorter 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 Shorter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.4% · 4,786
- White32.7% · 2,676
- Two or more races5.2% · 426
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 220
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shorter
Shorter 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
#4,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,675
+553 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#4,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,194
-481 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,014 | 8,122 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,092 | 8,675 | 2.94 | +553 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #4,189 | 8,194 | 2.74 | -481 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 97 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 Shorter 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 | #4,092 | #4,189 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,675 | 8,194 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.74 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shorter bearers went from 8,675 to 8,194 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,092 to #4,189.
FAQ
Shorter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shorter?
Name Census estimates that about 9,396 living Americans carry the surname Shorter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,479 residents.
How common is Shorter?
Shorter ranks #4,189 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,194 people with the surname Shorter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Shorter.
Has Shorter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shorter went from 8,675 recorded bearers to 8,194. That is a decrease of 481 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,092 to #4,189.
What does the Census say about the background of Shorter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorter, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.4%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shorter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (4,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shorter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.4%), White (32.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Shorter (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 Shorter mean?
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor who cut fabric to specific measurements. 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 Shorter (2.74 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 common is the surname Shorter?
See how many Americans have the surname Shorter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.