2000
#28,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Shapley
English surname derived from the Old English word "sceoppa" meaning shepherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 944 Americans carry the last name Shapley. That puts it at #30,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 363,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shapley 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 Shapley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
944
1 in 363,087
Census rank
#30,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
823
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 823 bearers of the surname Shapley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shapley
The surname Shapley originated in England and has its roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Shapley in Derbyshire, which itself is derived from the Old English words "scep" meaning sheep and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Shapley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Derbyshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273, where it appears as "de Schapeleye." This suggests that the name was originally associated with someone who lived near or owned land in the area known as Shapley.
In the 14th century, various spellings of the name appeared in historical records, including "Shaplye," "Shapelegh," and "Schapeley." These variations likely reflect the changing pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Shapley was John Shapley, born around 1420 in Derbyshire. He was a landowner and local official who served as a tax collector for the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Shapley was Sir Robert Shapley (1559-1628), a member of the gentry from Staffordshire. He was a Member of Parliament and a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the name Shapley appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire, which recorded households and their payment of a tax based on the number of hearths or fireplaces they had. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Shapley was the American astronomer Harlow Shapley (1885-1972). He was born in Missouri and is best known for his groundbreaking work in determining the size and shape of the Milky Way galaxy.
Another notable figure was the British-American composer and conductor Ralph Shapley (1857-1923), who was born in England but spent much of his career in the United States, where he served as the director of music at the University of Chicago.
The surname Shapley has also been borne by several other notable individuals throughout history, including the American educator and administrator Norman Shapley (1919-2005), the British actor and director John Shapley (1940-2008), and the American mathematician and computer scientist Linda Shapley (born 1940).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shapley
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Shapley 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 Shapley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 739
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 47
- Two or more races3.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shapley
Shapley 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
#29,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 800
-1 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,360 places
2020
#30,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 823
+23 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,142 | 801 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,502 | 800 | 0.27 | -1 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 1,360 places |
| 2020 | #30,403 | 823 | 0.28 | +23 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 901 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 Shapley 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 | #29,502 | #30,403 | -3.1% |
| Count | 800 | 823 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.28 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shapley bearers went from 800 to 823 (+2.9% change). The surname moved down 901 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,502 to #30,403.
FAQ
Shapley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shapley?
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the surname Shapley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 363,087 residents.
How common is Shapley?
Shapley ranks #30,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 823 people with the surname Shapley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Shapley.
Has Shapley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shapley went from 800 recorded bearers to 823. That is an increase of 23 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,502 to #30,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Shapley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shapley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Shapley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (739 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shapley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Shapley (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 Shapley mean?
English surname derived from the Old English word "sceoppa" meaning shepherd. 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 Shapley (0.28 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 Americans have the surname Shapley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.