2000
#47,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 425
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Shankman
A surname of Yiddish origin, possibly an Americanized variant of "Shenkman" meaning innkeeper or bartender.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 444 Americans carry the last name Shankman. That puts it at #56,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 771,969 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shankman 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
444
1 in 771,969
Census rank
#56,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
387
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 387 bearers of the surname Shankman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shankman
The surname Shankman is of Jewish origin, derived from the Yiddish word "shank" meaning to pour or serve drinks. It is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in parts of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Shankman name can be found in the records of the Kraków Jewish community in the late 1600s. These records mention a certain Yitzhak Shankman, who was a respected member of the local Jewish community and worked as a tavern keeper or innkeeper.
The Shankman surname is also linked to several small towns and villages in the region, such as Shankov and Shankovtsy, where the name may have been derived from the local place names. These places were known for their taverns and inns, which served as important gathering places for travelers and locals alike.
As Jewish communities migrated westward throughout Europe and beyond, the Shankman name spread to other regions. By the 18th century, there were Shankman families established in various parts of Germany, including the cities of Frankfurt and Berlin.
Notable individuals with the Shankman surname include:
1. Issachar Baer Shankman (1776-1847), a prominent rabbi and scholar who served as the Chief Rabbi of Vilna, Lithuania.
2. Yitzhak Shankman (1830-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist in Warsaw, Poland.
3. David Shankman (1855-1922), a renowned Yiddish writer and playwright from Odesa, Ukraine.
4. Sarah Shankman (1876-1954), an American social activist and advocate for women's rights, born in New York City.
5. Morris Shankman (1896-1968), a Canadian entrepreneur and founder of the Shankman & Coughlin Ltd. department store chain in Toronto.
While the Shankman name has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this surname found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shankman
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shankman 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 Shankman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 364
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 12
- Two or more races1.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shankman
Shankman 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
#49,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
-5 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,888 places
2020
#56,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
-33 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 7,000 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,026 | 425 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,914 | 420 | 0.14 | -5 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 2,888 places |
| 2020 | #56,914 | 387 | 0.13 | -33 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,000 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 Shankman 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 | #49,914 | #56,914 | -14.0% |
| Count | 420 | 387 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shankman bearers went from 420 to 387 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,000 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,914 to #56,914.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shankman
FAQ
Shankman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shankman?
Name Census estimates that about 444 living Americans carry the surname Shankman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 771,969 residents.
How common is Shankman?
Shankman ranks #56,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 387 people with the surname Shankman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Shankman.
Has Shankman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shankman went from 420 recorded bearers to 387. That is a decrease of 33 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,914 to #56,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Shankman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shankman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shankman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (364 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shankman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Shankman (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 Shankman mean?
A surname of Yiddish origin, possibly an Americanized variant of "Shenkman" meaning innkeeper or bartender. 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 Shankman (0.13 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 Shankman?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Shankman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.