2000
#5,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Shreve
Derived from the Old English word "scīrgerēfa," referring to a person who served as a sheriff or county magistrate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,869 Americans carry the last name Shreve. That puts it at #5,602 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shreve 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
6.9K
1 in 49,899
Census rank
#5,602
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,990 bearers of the surname Shreve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5602nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shreve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shreve
The surname SHREVE is believed to have originated in England, likely deriving from an Old English word meaning "shrew" or "shrive," which referred to a scolding person or someone who heard confessions. The name may also be linked to the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scireve" and "Shreve." This indicates that the name was already in use by the 11th century in various spellings.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Shreue" and "Shreue" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and Huntingdonshire, respectively. These records suggest that the name was well-established in different parts of England during this period.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name was Sir John Shreve, a knight who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a prominent figure in Shropshire and held lands in the area.
Another notable person with the surname SHREVE was Sir Ralph Shreve, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1391. He was a wealthy merchant and played a significant role in the City of London's governance during the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including "Shreeve" and "Shrive." One example is William Shrive, a member of the Worshipful Company of Salters in London, who was born in 1542.
During the 17th century, the name was found in various parts of England, with records indicating individuals named SHREVE residing in counties such as Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Berkshire. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Shreve, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who was born in 1610.
In the 18th century, the SHREVE name continued to be present in England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties like Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. One prominent individual was Benjamin Shreve, a successful businessman and landowner from Gloucestershire, who was born in 1725.
Throughout its history, the surname SHREVE has been associated with various place names, such as Shrewsbury in Shropshire, which may have influenced the name's origin and spelling variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shreve
Among Census respondents with the surname Shreve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shreve 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 Shreve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 5,470
- Two or more races3.5% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 167
- Black or African American1.4% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shreve
Shreve 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
#5,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,321
+39 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 374 places
2020
#5,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,990
-331 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,129 | 6,282 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,503 | 6,321 | 2.14 | +39 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 374 places |
| 2020 | #5,602 | 5,990 | 2.00 | -331 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 99 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 Shreve 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 | #5,503 | #5,602 | -1.8% |
| Count | 6,321 | 5,990 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.00 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shreve bearers went from 6,321 to 5,990 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,503 to #5,602.
FAQ
Shreve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shreve?
Name Census estimates that about 6,869 living Americans carry the surname Shreve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,899 residents.
How common is Shreve?
Shreve ranks #5,602 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,990 people with the surname Shreve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,869), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shreve.
Has Shreve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shreve went from 6,321 recorded bearers to 5,990. That is a decrease of 331 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,503 to #5,602.
What does the Census say about the background of Shreve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shreve, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Shreve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (5,470 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shreve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Shreve (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 Shreve mean?
Derived from the Old English word "scīrgerēfa," referring to a person who served as a sheriff or county magistrate. 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 Shreve (2.00 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 are called Shreve?
If you just want to know how many people are called Shreve, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.