2000
#11,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Shorts
Derived from the Old English word "scort," referring to a person of short stature or someone who wears short garments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,791 Americans carry the last name Shorts. That puts it at #12,207 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,807 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shorts 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shorts with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,807
Census rank
#12,207
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,434 bearers of the surname Shorts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12207th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shorts
The surname Shorts has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "scort," which means "short" or "small in stature." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone of short height or small build.
The name Shorts first appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were a census of households in various counties of England. This early record indicates that the name was already well-established by the latter part of the 13th century. One of the earliest individuals recorded with this surname was John Shorts, who was mentioned in a document from the county of Oxfordshire in 1279.
During the medieval period, the Shorts surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. The name was also found in various spellings, including Schort, Shorte, and Schorte, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in those times.
Interestingly, the Shorts surname may also have been derived from certain place names, such as Short's Green in Kent or Short's Croft in Northamptonshire. These localities could have contributed to the development of the surname in their respective regions.
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Shorts was Sir Richard Shorts, a prominent English politician and member of Parliament in the late 16th century. He was born in 1542 and served as a member of Parliament for Somerset from 1589 until his death in 1611.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Shorts, a Puritan minister and author who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1609, Shorts was a prominent figure in the religious turmoil of the English Civil War era and published several works on religious topics.
In the literary world, James Shorts was a renowned English poet and playwright of the 18th century. He was born in 1720 and gained recognition for his satirical works, which often explored social and political themes of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, John Shorts was a notable architect and surveyor who made significant contributions to the development of cities like Manchester and Liverpool. He was born in 1789 and is remembered for his innovative designs and urban planning efforts.
Finally, William Shorts was a prominent British explorer and naturalist who was active in the mid-19th century. Born in 1818, he led several expeditions to various parts of Africa and made important contributions to the study of flora and fauna in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shorts
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shorts 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 Shorts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.6% · 1,256
- White40.7% · 991
- Two or more races3.7% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shorts
Shorts 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
#12,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,514
+71 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 625 places
2020
#12,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,434
-80 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,745 | 2,443 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,370 | 2,514 | 0.85 | +71 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 625 places |
| 2020 | #12,207 | 2,434 | 0.81 | -80 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 163 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 Shorts 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 | #12,370 | #12,207 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,514 | 2,434 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.81 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shorts bearers went from 2,514 to 2,434 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,370 to #12,207.
FAQ
Shorts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shorts?
Name Census estimates that about 2,791 living Americans carry the surname Shorts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,807 residents.
How common is Shorts?
Shorts ranks #12,207 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,434 people with the surname Shorts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shorts.
Has Shorts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shorts went from 2,514 recorded bearers to 2,434. That is a decrease of 80 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,370 to #12,207.
What does the Census say about the background of Shorts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shorts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.6%. The next largest groups are White (40.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shorts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.6% (1,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shorts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.6%), White (40.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Shorts (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 Shorts mean?
Derived from the Old English word "scort," referring to a person of short stature or someone who wears short garments. 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 Shorts (0.81 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 common is the surname Shorts?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Shorts? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.