2000
#10,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Shuford
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "sheep ford" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,143 Americans carry the last name Shuford. That puts it at #11,066 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuford 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
3.1K
1 in 109,053
Census rank
#11,066
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,741 bearers of the surname Shuford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11066th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuford, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuford
The surname SHUFORD is believed to have originated in England, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era, around the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a ford or shallow river crossing in a location with the prefix "Shu-" or a similar spelling variation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, England, where a John Shuford was listed as a resident in the year 1635. The name's spelling has evolved over time, with variations like Shufford, Shoford, and Shufurd appearing in historical documents.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the SHUFORD surname, one of the earliest was Sir Robert Shuford (1602-1674), who served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. He was a landowner and influential figure in the county of Gloucestershire.
Another early bearer of the name was William Shuford (1625-1689), a prominent merchant and trader based in the city of Bristol, who played a role in establishing trade routes with the American colonies in the 17th century.
Moving forward in time, Samuel Shuford (1720-1796) was a farmer and landowner in the colony of Virginia, who later became one of the early settlers in the western regions of North Carolina after the American Revolution.
In the 19th century, one notable figure was Elizabeth Shuford (1838-1912), an educator and advocate for women's rights who established several schools for girls in the state of Indiana.
Lastly, John Shuford (1867-1942) was an influential businessman and industrialist from North Carolina, who played a significant role in the textile industry and the development of the city of Hickory, which was once known as "Shuford Town" in his honor.
While the SHUFORD surname may not be as widely known as some others, it has a rich history spanning multiple centuries and can be traced back to its English roots, with various individuals bearing this name leaving their mark across various fields and regions throughout the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuford
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuford, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuford 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 Shuford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.8% · 1,529
- Black or African American35.4% · 971
- Two or more races5.7% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuford
Shuford 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
#11,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
-49 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 924 places
2020
#11,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
-130 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,142 | 2,920 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,066 | 2,871 | 0.97 | -49 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 924 places |
| 2020 | #11,066 | 2,741 | 0.92 | -130 bearers (-4.5%) | No rank change |
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 Shuford 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 | #11,066 | #11,066 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,871 | 2,741 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.92 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuford bearers went from 2,871 to 2,741 (-4.5% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #11,066.
FAQ
Shuford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuford?
Name Census estimates that about 3,143 living Americans carry the surname Shuford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,053 residents.
How common is Shuford?
Shuford ranks #11,066 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,741 people with the surname Shuford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Shuford.
Has Shuford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuford went from 2,871 recorded bearers to 2,741. That is a decrease of 130 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it stayed at #11,066.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuford, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Shuford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (1,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.8%), Black (35.4%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Shuford (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 Shuford mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "sheep ford" in Old English. 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 Shuford (0.92 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 last name Shuford?
Find out how many people have the last name Shuford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.