2000
#10,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,835
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Shows
An occupational surname referring to a person who traveled and entertained, such as a circus or carnival performer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,917 Americans carry the last name Shows. That puts it at #11,775 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shows 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
2.9K
1 in 117,502
Census rank
#11,775
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,544 bearers of the surname Shows in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11775th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shows, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shows
The surname "SHOWS" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely deriving from an occupational name for someone who made or repaired shoes. It may have stemmed from the Old English word "sceoh," which referred to a shoe or boot.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholders across England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be early variations of the surname, such as "Scowere" and "Schowere." These entries suggest that the name was present in various regions of the country during the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John le Showers, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1273. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, indicating that the surname had become established by the 13th century.
The variant spelling "Shows" likely emerged later, possibly influenced by the pronunciation of the name or regional dialect variations. In the 16th century, there are records of a Thomas Showes, who was born in Somerset around 1520 and worked as a shoemaker.
A notable figure from history with this surname was Sir Randolph Shows (1592-1659), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and supporter of King Charles I.
Another individual of note was Richard Shows (1625-1692), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a chaplain in the Parliamentary army during the Civil War. He later became a prominent figure in the Nonconformist movement and wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Mary Shows (1737-1810), a British philanthropist and social reformer who worked to improve conditions in prisons and advocated for the education of women.
During the 19th century, John Shows (1818-1892) was a successful businessman and industrialist in the textile industry in Manchester, England. He played a significant role in the development of the city's thriving textile trade.
Throughout its history, the surname "SHOWS" has maintained a presence in various regions of England, particularly in the West Country and Somerset, where it may have originated. While the name has evolved in spelling over time, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era and the occupation of shoemaking.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shows
Among Census respondents with the surname Shows, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shows 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 Shows surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 2,250
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 114
- Black or African American3.5% · 89
- Two or more races2.9% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shows
Shows 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
#11,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
-144 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,229 places
2020
#11,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,544
-147 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,419 | 2,835 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,648 | 2,691 | 0.91 | -144 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 1,229 places |
| 2020 | #11,775 | 2,544 | 0.85 | -147 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 127 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 Shows 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 | #11,648 | #11,775 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,691 | 2,544 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.85 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shows bearers went from 2,691 to 2,544 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,648 to #11,775.
FAQ
Shows surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shows?
Name Census estimates that about 2,917 living Americans carry the surname Shows. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,502 residents.
How common is Shows?
Shows ranks #11,775 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,544 people with the surname Shows. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,917), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Shows.
Has Shows become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shows went from 2,691 recorded bearers to 2,544. That is a decrease of 147 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,648 to #11,775.
What does the Census say about the background of Shows?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shows, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Shows in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (2,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shows appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (3.5%). 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 Shows (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 Shows mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who traveled and entertained, such as a circus or carnival performer. 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 Shows (0.85 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 Shows?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.