2000
#12,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Shugart
An English occupational surname for a shoemaker or cordwainer, derived from the Middle English "sugge," meaning shoe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,407 Americans carry the last name Shugart. That puts it at #13,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,399 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shugart 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
2.4K
1 in 142,399
Census rank
#13,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,099 bearers of the surname Shugart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shugart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shugart
The surname Shugart is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "sceacga," which referred to a thicket or a small wood. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, given to someone who lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Sugwrd." This spelling variation highlights the fluidity and evolution of surnames during that time period.
The Shugart name has also been found in various medieval records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it is spelled as "Shugewrd." These historical documents provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution and variations of the name throughout England.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in the records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, with the spelling "Shugarte." This entry is significant as it showcases the transition towards the more modern spelling of the name.
One notable figure bearing the Shugart surname was Sir John Shugart, a prominent landowner and politician from Gloucestershire who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Cirencester during the reign of King James I.
Another individual of note was William Shugart, a respected scholar and author from Oxford, who was born in 1642 and published several works on theology and philosophy during the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name appears in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where a family by the name of Shugart resided for several generations.
During the 19th century, the Shugart surname gained prominence in the United States, with many individuals bearing this name migrating from England and Scotland to seek new opportunities in the rapidly expanding nation.
One such individual was Robert Shugart, born in 1818 in Lancashire, England, who later emigrated to Ohio and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Additionally, the Shugart name has been associated with several notable figures in more recent history, such as the American businessman Alan Shugart, who co-founded the computer storage company Seagate Technology in the late 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shugart
Among Census respondents with the surname Shugart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shugart 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 Shugart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 1,866
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 80
- Two or more races3.5% · 74
- Black or African American2.7% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shugart
Shugart 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
#12,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,447
+99 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#13,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
-348 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,167 | 2,348 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,644 | 2,447 | 0.83 | +99 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #13,789 | 2,099 | 0.70 | -348 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 1,145 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 Shugart 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 | #12,644 | #13,789 | -9.1% |
| Count | 2,447 | 2,099 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.70 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shugart bearers went from 2,447 to 2,099 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 1,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,644 to #13,789.
FAQ
Shugart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shugart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,407 living Americans carry the surname Shugart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,399 residents.
How common is Shugart?
Shugart ranks #13,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,099 people with the surname Shugart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Shugart.
Has Shugart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shugart went from 2,447 recorded bearers to 2,099. That is a decrease of 348 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,644 to #13,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Shugart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shugart, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Shugart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (1,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shugart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Shugart (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 Shugart mean?
An English occupational surname for a shoemaker or cordwainer, derived from the Middle English "sugge," meaning shoe. 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 Shugart (0.70 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 share the surname Shugart?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.