2000
#11,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Shortt
An occupational surname referring to a person of short stature or one who cuts or trims.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,998 Americans carry the last name Shortt. That puts it at #11,513 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shortt 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 Shortt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,328
Census rank
#11,513
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,614 bearers of the surname Shortt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11513th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shortt
The surname Shortt originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English word "scort," meaning short or small in stature. This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was short in height.
The earliest known record of the name Shortt dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Scortus" in Oxfordshire. During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, such as Shorte, Schort, and Shurte, due to the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
In the 13th century, the name Shortt was found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record of landowners and their properties. Several Shortt families were documented in this record, indicating their presence in the region.
One notable individual with the surname Shortt was Sir John Shortt, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived in the 15th century. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1471 and was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.
In the 16th century, the name Shortt appeared in the records of the Parish of Wokingham in Berkshire, where several families with this surname were documented. One significant figure from this time was Thomas Shortt, a renowned scholar and theologian who studied at Oxford University and later became the rector of Wokingham.
During the 17th century, the Shortt family had a strong presence in the county of Somerset, where they owned lands and properties. One notable member was William Shortt, born in 1632, who served as a justice of the peace and was a prominent figure in the local community.
In the 18th century, the name Shortt spread to other parts of England and even to Scotland. One notable individual was Robert Shortt, born in 1712 in Edinburgh, who was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Another notable figure from this period was Sir John Shortt, born in 1768 in Lincolnshire. He was a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded several honors for his bravery and leadership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shortt
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shortt 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 Shortt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 2,271
- Black or African American5.5% · 143
- Two or more races3.4% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shortt
Shortt 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
#11,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,834
+218 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#11,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,614
-220 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 350 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,126 | 2,616 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,163 | 2,834 | 0.96 | +218 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #11,513 | 2,614 | 0.87 | -220 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 350 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 Shortt 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 | #11,163 | #11,513 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,834 | 2,614 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.87 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shortt bearers went from 2,834 to 2,614 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 350 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,163 to #11,513.
FAQ
Shortt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shortt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,998 living Americans carry the surname Shortt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,328 residents.
How common is Shortt?
Shortt ranks #11,513 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,614 people with the surname Shortt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,998), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Shortt.
Has Shortt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shortt went from 2,834 recorded bearers to 2,614. That is a decrease of 220 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,163 to #11,513.
What does the Census say about the background of Shortt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shortt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shortt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (2,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shortt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Black (5.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shortt (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 Shortt mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person of short stature or one who cuts or trims. 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 Shortt (0.87 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 people share the surname Shortt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.