2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shuga
A surname derived from the Hebrew word for "song" or "melody".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Shuga. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shuga 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Shuga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuga, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shuga
The surname SHUGA originates from the region of Northern India, specifically in the state of Punjab. It is believed to have its roots in the Sanskrit language, where the word "shuka" meant "parrot" or "bird." This surname likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
SHUGA is thought to have been derived from an occupational name, referring to individuals who worked with or traded in birds, particularly parrots. In ancient times, parrots were highly valued for their ability to mimic human speech and were often kept as pets by the wealthy and noble classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SHUGA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Persian manuscript commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions a certain "Shuga Khan," who was a prominent military commander during Akbar's reign.
Another notable individual bearing the surname SHUGA was Sardar Shuga Singh, a Sikh warrior and military leader who lived in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in defending the Sikh Empire against the invading Afghan forces.
In the 19th century, the SHUGA surname made its way to the British Isles, particularly in regions with a significant Punjabi immigrant population. One such individual was Gulab Singh Shuga, a British Indian businessman who established a successful trading company in London in the 1860s.
A more contemporary figure with the surname SHUGA is Harjinder Singh Shuga, a renowned Punjabi folk singer and actor who rose to prominence in the latter half of the 20th century. He was born in 1939 and is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in Punjabi music.
Historically, the SHUGA surname has also been associated with certain place names in northern India. For example, the village of Shugapura (meaning "the land of the Shugas") in the state of Rajasthan is believed to have been named after a community of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shuga
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuga, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shuga 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 Shuga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino12.1% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shuga
Shuga 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Shuga 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shuga bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Shuga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shuga?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Shuga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Shuga?
Shuga ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Shuga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Shuga.
Has Shuga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shuga went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Shuga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shuga, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%). 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 Shuga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shuga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Hispanic (12.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%). 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 Shuga (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 Shuga mean?
A surname derived from the Hebrew word for "song" or "melody". 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 Shuga (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 Americans have the surname Shuga?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.