Find out how popular the last name Shumate is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shumate.

Shumate, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shumate surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shumate in America

Shumate is the 4276th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shumate surname appeared 8,311 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Shumate.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shumate to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shumate

The surname Shumate is believed to have originated in England, likely during the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "scua-mæta," which means "companion of the wood." This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname or occupational surname for someone who lived or worked in the woods.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Shumate can be found in various historical records from the medieval period. For example, a person named John Shumate is mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1324, which were legal documents issued by the English Crown. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1327, where a William Shumate is listed.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Shumate appeared in various spellings, such as Shewmate, Shoomait, and Shewmett, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common at the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in official records.

One notable person with the surname Shumate was Sir John Shumate (c. 1550-1619), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1597 and 1601. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Shumate (c. 1610-1678), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, England.

In the 18th century, the Shumate surname can be found in various parish records and legal documents. For example, a John Shumate was recorded as a landholder in the Hertfordshire Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1749. Additionally, a William Shumate was listed as a merchant in the records of the City of London in 1773.

Moving into the 19th century, several notable individuals carried the Shumate surname. One was Henry Shumate (1825-1901), an American soldier who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War and later served as a United States Congressman from Texas. Another was James Shumate (1839-1912), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Throughout history, the surname Shumate has been associated with various place names and localities in England, such as Shumate Green in Hertfordshire and Shumate Hill in Gloucestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shumate

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shumate.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shumate was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shumate has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shumate was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shumate, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!