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

Shortman, 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 Shortman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shortman in America

Shortman is the 60347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shortman surname appeared 334 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 Shortman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shortman 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 Shortman

The surname Shortman is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period. It is thought to be a descriptive surname derived from the Old English words "sceort" (short) and "man" (man), referring to a person of short stature or height.

The earliest known record of the surname Shortman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1230, where a certain Robert Shortman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 13th century.

In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, compiled in 1273, a reference is made to a William Schorteman, highlighting a slightly different spelling of the name. This variation in spelling was not uncommon during the Middle Ages, as surnames were often recorded phonetically by scribes who had their own regional dialects.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey of England compiled in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname Shortman. However, it does mention a few places with names that could be related, such as Shortemanneswurthe and Shortgrave.

One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Shortman surname was John Shortman, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 15th century. He is mentioned in various records from the city's archives, including the Letter Books of the City of London.

Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Shortman, who was born in 1520 and served as a member of parliament for the borough of Southwark during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a successful merchant and played an active role in the affairs of the City of London.

In the 17th century, the Shortman family had established themselves in the county of Berkshire, where they owned land and property. One notable member was William Shortman (1625-1689), a wealthy landowner and Justice of the Peace for the county.

The name Shortman also appears in some literary works from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as the plays of William Shakespeare and the writings of Samuel Pepys, indicating that it was a well-known surname during that period.

It is worth noting that the surname Shortman has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Shortmansbury, Shortmanley, and Shortmanford, further reinforcing its geographical origins and connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shortman

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

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

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

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