2000
#13,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Shum
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "schume," meaning "foam" or "froth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,830 Americans carry the last name Shum. That puts it at #12,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shum 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 Shum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,115
Census rank
#12,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,468 bearers of the surname Shum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shum, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shum
The surname SHUM originated in China, specifically in the Guangdong province, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It is derived from the Chinese character "岑" (shum), which means "mountain" or "hill". This suggests that the name may have been associated with people who lived in or near mountainous regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHUM can be found in the "Tongzhi" (通志), a local gazetteer published during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). It mentions several villages with the name "Shum" or "Sham" in Guangdong, indicating that the surname was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), a scholar named SHUM Kwok-leung (岑國樑) was renowned for his expertise in Confucian classics. He served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court and was praised for his integrity and dedication to his duties.
In the 17th century, a famous calligrapher named SHUM Siu-ling (岑紹齡) gained recognition for his exceptional calligraphic skills. His works were highly sought after and can still be found in many art collections today.
The name SHUM also appears in several historical records from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). For instance, a military commander named SHUM Yat-fung (岑日風) was noted for his bravery and leadership during the Ming-Qing transition period.
Another notable figure was SHUM Yung-shan (岑永善), a successful merchant and philanthropist who lived in the late 19th century. He was renowned for his generous donations to various charitable causes and educational institutions in Guangdong.
Throughout history, the SHUM surname has been associated with several place names in China, particularly in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Examples include Shumchun (岑村), Shumkong (岑罔), and Shumshui (岑水), which may have been named after individuals or families bearing the SHUM surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shum
Among Census respondents with the surname Shum, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shum 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 Shum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.5% · 1,962
- White13.2% · 326
- Two or more races3.5% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 79
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shum
Shum 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
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
+197 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 97 places
2020
#12,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,468
+246 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 1,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,724 | 2,025 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | +197 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 97 places |
| 2020 | #12,067 | 2,468 | 0.83 | +246 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,560 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 Shum 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 | #13,627 | #12,067 | 11.4% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,468 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.83 | 10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shum bearers went from 2,222 to 2,468 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 1,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #12,067.
FAQ
Shum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,830 living Americans carry the surname Shum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,115 residents.
How common is Shum?
Shum ranks #12,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,468 people with the surname Shum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,830), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Shum.
Has Shum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shum went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,468. That is an increase of 246 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,627 to #12,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Shum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shum, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (1,962 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.5%), White (13.2%), 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 Shum (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 Shum mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "schume," meaning "foam" or "froth." 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 Shum (0.83 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 common is the surname Shum?
Find out how many people have the last name Shum on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.