2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shry
An anglicized spelling of a surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a French place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Shry. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shry 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Shry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shry, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shry
The surname SHRY has its origins traced back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that once thrived in England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scir," which means "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a radiant personality or appearance.
The earliest recorded instance of the SHRY surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this document, the name appears as "Scirie," which is likely an early spelling variation.
During the Middle Ages, the SHRY name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, where it is thought to have originated. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Shry, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.
As the centuries passed, the surname evolved in spelling, with variations such as "Shrie," "Shrey," and "Schry" appearing in various historical records. In the 16th century, a prominent figure named William Shry was a respected scholar and philosopher at Oxford University, known for his contributions to the field of logic and rhetoric.
The SHRY name also has connections to various place names in England, such as Shrivenham in Oxfordshire and Shrivenham in Wiltshire. It is possible that some branches of the SHRY family derived their surname from these locations.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the SHRY surname was John Shry (1583-1654), a English Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the religious debates and controversies of his time.
In the 18th century, the SHRY name gained further prominence with the birth of Sir George Shry (1712-1788), a prominent politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament for several constituencies in Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
While the SHRY surname may not be among the most common today, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the Anglo-Saxon heritage of England, with notable bearers contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shry
Among Census respondents with the surname Shry, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shry 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 Shry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shry
Shry 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-37 bearers (-25.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 39,167 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -37 bearers (-25.5%) | Down 39,167 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Shry 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shry bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Shry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shry?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Shry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Shry?
Shry ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Shry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shry.
Has Shry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shry went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Shry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shry, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Shry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Shry (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 Shry mean?
An anglicized spelling of a surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a French place name. 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 Shry (0.04 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 have the surname Shry?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.