2000
#7,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Shuck
A metonymic occupational surname for a corn husker or one who shucks oysters or clams.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,350 Americans carry the last name Shuck. That puts it at #8,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,794 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuck 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 Shuck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,794
Census rank
#8,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,793 bearers of the surname Shuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuck
The surname SHUCK has its origins in England, where it first emerged as a locational name derived from the Old English word "scucca," meaning a "shuck" or "scarecrow." This name likely referred to someone who lived near a field or area where scarecrows were used to deter birds from crops.
One of the earliest records of the name SHUCK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Succa" and "Sucche," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. These early spellings suggest that the name was present in parts of southern England, particularly in counties like Sussex and Kent.
The SHUCK surname has a long history in England, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout the centuries. One of the earliest recorded was John Shuck, born in 1492 in Oxfordshire, who was a prominent landowner and local official during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another significant figure was Thomas Shuck, born in 1667 in Somerset, who was a renowned clockmaker and inventor. His innovative designs and contributions to the field of timekeeping earned him widespread recognition in the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name SHUCK gained further prominence with the birth of William Shuck in 1811 in Lincolnshire. He was a prominent educator and headmaster who played a significant role in shaping the education system in England during the Victorian era.
The SHUCK surname can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Shuckborough in Warwickshire and Shucknall in Nottinghamshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Throughout history, the SHUCK surname has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, including farmers, artisans, merchants, and academics. The name has been carried across generations, with families often maintaining strong ties to their ancestral roots and the areas from which the surname originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuck 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 Shuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,448
- Two or more races4.1% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuck
Shuck 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
#8,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,078
+17 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 576 places
2020
#8,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,793
-285 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,554 | 4,061 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,130 | 4,078 | 1.38 | +17 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 576 places |
| 2020 | #8,355 | 3,793 | 1.27 | -285 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 225 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 Shuck 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 | #8,130 | #8,355 | -2.8% |
| Count | 4,078 | 3,793 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.27 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuck bearers went from 4,078 to 3,793 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,130 to #8,355.
FAQ
Shuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuck?
Name Census estimates that about 4,350 living Americans carry the surname Shuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,794 residents.
How common is Shuck?
Shuck ranks #8,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,793 people with the surname Shuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Shuck.
Has Shuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuck went from 4,078 recorded bearers to 3,793. That is a decrease of 285 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,130 to #8,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Shuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Shuck (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 Shuck mean?
A metonymic occupational surname for a corn husker or one who shucks oysters or clams. 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 Shuck (1.27 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 Shuck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.