2000
#9,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Shute
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a narrow channel or passage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,164 Americans carry the last name Shute. That puts it at #11,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shute 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 Shute with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,329
Census rank
#11,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,759 bearers of the surname Shute in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shute, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shute
The surname SHUTE is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word "scytt" meaning archer or shooter. It is believed to have originated in the region of Devonshire, England during the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHUTE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Scytta" under landowners in Devon. This suggests that the name was already established in that area by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling included "Shute," "Shutt," and "Shutte." These were often used interchangeably and referred to the same family lineage. The name was also associated with certain place names in Devon, such as Shute Hill and Shute Farm.
Notable individuals bearing the SHUTE surname throughout history include:
1. Sir John Shute (1563-1619), an English lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1614 to 1619.
2. Josias Shute (1661-1742), an English-born merchant and colonial administrator who served as the first Governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire from 1716 to 1723.
3. Samuel Shute (1662-1742), an English playwright and poet, best known for his works "The Humorists" and "The Parson's Wedding."
4. John Shute Barrington (1678-1734), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1730 to 1734.
5. Nevil Shute (1899-1960), a renowned English novelist and aeronautical engineer, known for his works "A Town Like Alice" and "On the Beach."
As the SHUTE family spread across England and later to other parts of the British Isles and the Americas, the name became more widespread and took on various spellings, but its origins can be traced back to the archer or shooter roots in Devon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shute
Among Census respondents with the surname Shute, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shute 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 Shute surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,396
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 126
- Black or African American4.0% · 109
- Two or more races3.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shute
Shute 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
#10,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,983
-5 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#11,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,759
-224 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,962 | 2,988 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,711 | 2,983 | 1.01 | -5 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #11,008 | 2,759 | 0.92 | -224 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 297 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 Shute 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 | #10,711 | #11,008 | -2.8% |
| Count | 2,983 | 2,759 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.92 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shute bearers went from 2,983 to 2,759 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 297 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,711 to #11,008.
FAQ
Shute surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shute?
Name Census estimates that about 3,164 living Americans carry the surname Shute. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,329 residents.
How common is Shute?
Shute ranks #11,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,759 people with the surname Shute. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Shute.
Has Shute become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shute went from 2,983 recorded bearers to 2,759. That is a decrease of 224 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,711 to #11,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Shute?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shute, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Shute in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shute appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (4.0%). 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 Shute (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 Shute mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a narrow channel or passage." 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 Shute (0.92 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 Shute?
See how many people are called Shute on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.