2000
#7,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Shropshire
A locational surname referring to someone from the English county of Shropshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,019 Americans carry the last name Shropshire. That puts it at #7,338 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shropshire 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 Shropshire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,291
Census rank
#7,338
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,377 bearers of the surname Shropshire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7338th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shropshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shropshire
The surname Shropshire is an English locational name derived from the county of Shropshire, located in the West Midlands region of England. The name Shropshire itself is believed to have originated from the Old English words "scrop" or "scrobb," meaning a shrub or bush, and "scir," meaning a shire or county.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Shropshire can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire from 1273. These rolls were early census-like records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Shropshire, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing insights into the economic and administrative affairs of the time.
In the 14th century, the name Shropshire appeared in various forms, such as Schropschire, Shrobbeshire, and Shrovesbury, reflecting the evolution of spelling and pronunciation over time. This variation in spelling was common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized orthography.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Shropshire. However, it does record information about the county of Shropshire, referred to as "Sciropscire" or "Scrobesberie."
Notable individuals with the surname Shropshire throughout history include:
1. William Shropshire (c. 1585-1655), an English playwright and author known for his work "The Youthes Paradoxe" published in 1630.
2. John Shropshire (1663-1718), a British architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London and the surrounding areas.
3. Mary Shropshire (1777-1849), a Scottish botanist and naturalist known for her contributions to the study of British flora.
4. Sir George Shropshire (1825-1901), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.
5. Ethel Shropshire (1886-1976), an American artist and painter known for her landscape and still-life works in the Impressionist style.
The surname Shropshire has also been associated with various place names within the county itself, such as Shropshire Hills, Shropshire Union Canal, and Shropshire Bedlams, a breed of sheep native to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shropshire
Among Census respondents with the surname Shropshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shropshire 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 Shropshire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.8% · 2,225
- Black or African American40.6% · 1,778
- Two or more races5.1% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shropshire
Shropshire 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
#7,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,469
+127 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 358 places
2020
#7,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,377
-92 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,099 | 4,342 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,457 | 4,469 | 1.52 | +127 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 358 places |
| 2020 | #7,338 | 4,377 | 1.46 | -92 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 119 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 Shropshire 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 | #7,457 | #7,338 | 1.6% |
| Count | 4,469 | 4,377 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.46 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shropshire bearers went from 4,469 to 4,377 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,457 to #7,338.
FAQ
Shropshire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shropshire?
Name Census estimates that about 5,019 living Americans carry the surname Shropshire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,291 residents.
How common is Shropshire?
Shropshire ranks #7,338 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,377 people with the surname Shropshire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Shropshire.
Has Shropshire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shropshire went from 4,469 recorded bearers to 4,377. That is a decrease of 92 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,457 to #7,338.
What does the Census say about the background of Shropshire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shropshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.8%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shropshire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.8% (2,225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shropshire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.8%), Black (40.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Shropshire (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 Shropshire mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the English county of Shropshire. 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 Shropshire (1.46 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 Shropshire?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Shropshire at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.