2000
#5,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,647
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Shupe
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of scoops or shovels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,508 Americans carry the last name Shupe. That puts it at #5,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shupe 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
6.5K
1 in 52,667
Census rank
#5,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,675 bearers of the surname Shupe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shupe
The surname Shupe is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Schuppe," which means "shed" or "hut." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a small, primitive dwelling or worked as a builder or carpenter.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shupe can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In those times, surnames were often based on occupations, physical characteristics, or places of residence.
One of the earliest documented references to the Shupe name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a renowned illustrated world history book published in 1493. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had already established a presence in parts of Germany by the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Shupe name began to spread across other parts of Europe as people migrated and settled in new areas. In some regions, variations of the name emerged, such as Schupe, Schuppe, and Shuppe.
Notable individuals with the surname Shupe include Johann Shupe (1625-1692), a German composer and organist who lived in Saxony, and Hans Shupe (1742-1815), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schönau in the Black Forest region of Germany.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Shupe (1801-1876), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in the town of Göttingen and later became a professor at the University of Berlin.
In the 19th century, the Shupe name began to appear in various records and documents in the United States, as German immigrants settled in different parts of the country. One notable individual was William Shupe (1843-1912), a Union soldier during the American Civil War who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle.
Another distinguished person with the Shupe surname was Caroline Shupe (1858-1937), an American educator and women's rights advocate who played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for women in the state of Ohio.
While the Shupe name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this surname making their mark in various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shupe
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Shupe 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 Shupe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 5,229
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 198
- Two or more races3.2% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shupe
Shupe 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
#5,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,861
+214 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 249 places
2020
#5,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,675
-186 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,639 | 5,647 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,888 | 5,861 | 1.99 | +214 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 249 places |
| 2020 | #5,866 | 5,675 | 1.90 | -186 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 22 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 Shupe 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 | #5,888 | #5,866 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,861 | 5,675 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.90 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shupe bearers went from 5,861 to 5,675 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,888 to #5,866.
FAQ
Shupe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shupe?
Name Census estimates that about 6,508 living Americans carry the surname Shupe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,667 residents.
How common is Shupe?
Shupe ranks #5,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,675 people with the surname Shupe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Shupe.
Has Shupe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shupe went from 5,861 recorded bearers to 5,675. That is a decrease of 186 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,888 to #5,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Shupe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupe, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shupe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (5,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shupe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Shupe (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 Shupe mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of scoops or shovels. 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 Shupe (1.90 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 Shupe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Shupe is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.