2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shortley
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone residing in a short, small, or diminutive clearing or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Shortley. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shortley 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Shortley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shortley
The surname Shortley originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sceort" and "leah," which together mean "short meadow" or "short clearing." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small, open field or clearing in a wooded area.
The earliest records of the name Shortley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Scortlega" in the county of Surrey. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Shortlegh," "Schortley," and "Shortleye" in various county records and manorial rolls across southern England.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Shortley was Sir John Shortley (c. 1460-1518), a prominent English landowner and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He served as Sheriff of Wiltshire and was knighted for his military service.
Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Shortley (c. 1520-1585), a prominent English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex and held several other ecclesiastical positions during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the late 16th century, the name Shortley was associated with the village of Shortley Bridge in Northumberland, which may have been named after an early settler or landowner with that surname.
During the 17th century, Edward Shortley (1635-1692) was a successful merchant and shipowner based in London, involved in the lucrative trade with the British colonies in the West Indies.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Shortley (1670-1743), a British military officer who served with distinction during the War of the Spanish Succession and was later appointed Governor of Gibraltar.
As the centuries passed, the Shortley surname continued to be found throughout various regions of England, with some branches of the family migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shortley
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shortley 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 Shortley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shortley
Shortley 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,338 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 17,338 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 3,730 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 Shortley 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 | #150,452 | #154,182 | -2.5% |
| Count | 109 | 103 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shortley bearers went from 109 to 103 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 3,730 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,182.
FAQ
Shortley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shortley?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Shortley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Shortley?
Shortley ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Shortley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Shortley.
Has Shortley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shortley went from 109 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Shortley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Shortley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shortley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Shortley (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 Shortley mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to someone residing in a short, small, or diminutive clearing or meadow. 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 Shortley (0.03 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 Shortley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.