2000
#3,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.04
Rare Last name
Shumate
An English occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,047 Americans carry the last name Shumate. That puts it at #4,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shumate 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
9.0K
1 in 37,886
Census rank
#4,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,889 bearers of the surname Shumate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shumate, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shumate
Among Census respondents with the surname Shumate, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shumate 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 Shumate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 6,488
- Black or African American9.9% · 781
- Two or more races3.4% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shumate
Shumate 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
#4,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,311
+115 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 295 places
2020
#4,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,889
-422 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,981 | 8,196 | 3.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,276 | 8,311 | 2.82 | +115 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 295 places |
| 2020 | #4,349 | 7,889 | 2.64 | -422 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 73 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 Shumate 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 | #4,276 | #4,349 | -1.7% |
| Count | 8,311 | 7,889 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.64 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shumate bearers went from 8,311 to 7,889 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,276 to #4,349.
FAQ
Shumate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shumate?
Name Census estimates that about 9,047 living Americans carry the surname Shumate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,886 residents.
How common is Shumate?
Shumate ranks #4,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,889 people with the surname Shumate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Shumate.
Has Shumate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shumate went from 8,311 recorded bearers to 7,889. That is a decrease of 422 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,276 to #4,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Shumate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shumate, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shumate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (6,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shumate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shumate (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 Shumate mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler. 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 Shumate (2.64 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 are called Shumate?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Shumate on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.