2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shupperd
A variant spelling of the English surname Shepherd, derived from an occupational name for a sheep herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Shupperd. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shupperd 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Shupperd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupperd, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shupperd
The surname SHUPPERD is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in the region of England, during the medieval era. It is thought to be derived from an Old English or Anglo-Saxon occupational name, referring to a person who was a shepherd or someone who tended to sheep.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHUPPERD can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already been in use by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are references to individuals bearing the name SHUPPERD in various manorial records and tax rolls from counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk. The name was often spelled in various ways, such as Shepard, Sheppard, or Shepperd, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography during that period.
One notable figure with the surname SHUPPERD was John Shupperd, a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol during the 15th century. Records indicate that he was born around 1420 and played an influential role in the city's trade and governance.
Another individual worth mentioning is William Shupperd, a clergyman and scholar who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Oxford and was known for his contributions to theological writings and sermons.
In the 17th century, the name SHUPPERD was found in various parish registers and court records across England, indicating its continued presence and spread throughout the country. One such individual was Richard Shupperd, a farmer from the village of Stoke-on-Trent, who was born in 1635 and lived until the early 18th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SHUPPERD surname was also present in various parts of the British Empire, as individuals bearing the name migrated to other regions, such as North America and Australia. For instance, Thomas Shupperd, born in 1782 in Gloucestershire, England, later emigrated to the United States and settled in Virginia.
Additionally, the name SHUPPERD has been associated with various place names and settlements throughout England, such as Shepperton in Middlesex and Shepley in West Yorkshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shupperd
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupperd, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shupperd 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 Shupperd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shupperd
Shupperd appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Shupperd 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shupperd bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Shupperd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shupperd?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Shupperd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Shupperd?
Shupperd ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Shupperd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shupperd.
Has Shupperd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shupperd went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Shupperd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shupperd, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Shupperd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shupperd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Shupperd (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 Shupperd mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Shepherd, derived from an occupational name for a sheep herder. 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 Shupperd (0.04 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 have the last name Shupperd?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Shupperd on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.