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

Shye, 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 Shye surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shye in America

Shye is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shye surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shye.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shye 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 Shye

The surname SHYE is believed to have originated in Scotland, deriving from a locational name for someone who lived near a shielings or summer pastures in the hills. It is thought to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century, with early spellings including Shye, Shee, and Schee.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. An entry mentions a John de Schee, likely from the Borders region of Scotland.

In the 14th century, a reference to a William Shye appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, indicating the name's presence in official records of the time. These rolls documented financial transactions and assessments made by the Scottish Exchequer.

A notable early bearer of the name was Robert Shye, born around 1420 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate in the region during the latter part of the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name Shye appears in various English records, suggesting some migration of Scottish families bearing the surname across the border. One example is the christening record of Elizabeth Shye in 1582 in the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, London.

A famous historical figure with the surname was Sir John Shye, born in 1625 in Edinburgh. He was a distinguished military officer who fought in the English Civil War and later served as a member of the Scottish Parliament in the late 17th century.

Another notable individual was James Shye, born in 1745 in Inverness-shire, Scotland. He was a renowned scholar and linguist, fluent in several languages including Gaelic, Latin, and Greek. He served as a professor at the University of Edinburgh in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, the surname SHYE continued to be found in various parts of Scotland, with some bearers also migrating to other parts of the British Isles and further afield to North America and other regions of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shye

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

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 Shye 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 Shye 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 Shye was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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