2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shorthair
A surname originating from having short hair or being a short-haired person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Shorthair. 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 Shorthair 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
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 Shorthair 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 Shorthair, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and White (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shorthair
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorthair, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and White (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shorthair 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 Shorthair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native86.8% · 105
- Black or African American5.8% · 7
- White3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shorthair
Shorthair 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,136 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 17,136 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Shorthair 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shorthair bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Shorthair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shorthair?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Shorthair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Shorthair?
Shorthair 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 Shorthair. 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 Shorthair.
Has Shorthair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shorthair went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Shorthair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorthair, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and White (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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shorthair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shorthair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (86.8%), Black (5.8%), White (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 Shorthair (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 Shorthair mean?
A surname originating from having short hair or being a short-haired person. 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 Shorthair (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 Americans have the surname Shorthair?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.