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

Shortland, 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 Shortland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shortland in America

Shortland is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shortland surname appeared 121 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 Shortland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shortland 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 Shortland

The surname Shortland is of English origin, deriving from a geographical location in the county of Somerset. The name is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "sceort" and "land," which translate to "short" and "land" or "territory," respectively. This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive term for a person residing in a small or compact area of land.

In the early medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, such as Schortland, Shurtland, and Shurtlond. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Sortelande" in the county of Somerset.

Notable individuals bearing the Shortland surname include:

1. John Shortland (c. 1640-1692), an English naval officer and explorer who is credited with being the first European to sight and map the islands of Ahu Ahu and Rapanui, now known as Easter Island, in 1688.

2. Edward Shortland (1812-1893), a New Zealand politician and explorer who played a significant role in the early colonial history of the country. He served as the first Surveyor-General of New Zealand and later became a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council.

3. Willoughby Shortland (1804-1869), an English naval officer and explorer who served as the first Commandant of the Pitcairn Islands from 1838 to 1839. He was also involved in the resettlement of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island in 1856.

4. Peter Shortland (born 1946), an Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Sutherland from 1988 to 2007.

5. Emily Shortland (1858-1946), a New Zealand writer and teacher who authored several works of fiction, including "The Millers of Baitogi" and "Chaucerian Fragments."

Throughout its history, the Shortland surname has been associated with various place names and locations, particularly in Somerset and surrounding areas. Some examples include Shortlands Farm in Taunton, Somerset, and Shortlands, a district in the London Borough of Bromley.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shortland

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

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

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

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