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

Shorthair, 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 Shorthair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shorthair in America

Shorthair is the 149395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shorthair surname appeared 110 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 Shorthair.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shorthair 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 Shorthair

The surname SHORTHAIR is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period in England, around the 13th or 14th century. It is a descriptive surname derived from the Old English words "sceort" meaning short and "hær" meaning hair, likely referring to someone with short hair.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, which mentions a John Shorthair. The name also appears in various other medieval records and documents from various parts of England, such as the Court Rolls of Wiltshire from 1333, where a Thomas Shorthair is mentioned.

While the surname SHORTHAIR does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, it may have been used as a nickname or descriptive term for individuals at the time. The prevalence of the name seems to have increased during the later medieval period as surnames became more widespread and hereditary.

In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname, one of the earliest recorded was Sir Robert Shorthair, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. Another early example is William Shorthair, a merchant and landowner mentioned in records from the city of Bristol in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname continued to be found across various regions of England. John Shorthair (1540-1612) was a respected clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Chester Cathedral. Meanwhile, Mary Shorthair (1585-1648) was a prominent figure in the English Civil War, known for her support of the Parliamentarian cause.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various records, including those of Thomas Shorthair (1714-1788), a successful merchant and philanthropist from London, and Elizabeth Shorthair (1760-1832), a noted author and poet from Yorkshire.

The 19th century saw the surname spread further, with individuals such as Sir William Shorthair (1810-1891), a prominent politician and member of Parliament, and Charles Shorthair (1845-1923), a renowned architect responsible for designing several notable buildings across England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shorthair

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

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

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

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