2000
#371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 76,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.49
Uncommon Last name
Sharp
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sharpens blades or tools, or a shrewd and quick-witted person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,535 Americans carry the last name Sharp. That puts it at #426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,961 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharp 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 Sharp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,961
Census rank
#426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
75K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,463 bearers of the surname Sharp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharp, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharp
The surname Sharp is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "scearp," which means sharp or keen-witted. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered sharp or quick-witted.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, the earliest known spelling of the name appears as "Scharpe." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard le Sharpe, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. The "le" prefix indicates that he was likely known as Richard the Sharp, reflecting the descriptive nature of the surname.
The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Sharpe's Hill in Derbyshire and Sharpe's Moor in Yorkshire, which may have influenced the adoption of the surname in those areas.
Among notable historical figures with the surname Sharp, one can mention:
1. Abraham Sharp (1653-1742), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus.
2. Granville Sharp (1735-1813), an English abolitionist and one of the first campaigners for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.
3. Becky Sharp, the cunning and ambitious protagonist of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel "Vanity Fair" (published in 1847-1848).
4. Dorothy Sharp (1886-1962), an English artist and sculptor known for her avant-garde works and association with the Vorticist movement.
5. Thomas Sharp (1770-1841), an English political reformer and philanthropist, known for his work in establishing the first Mechanics' Institute in Britain.
The surname Sharp has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting its widespread usage and enduring presence throughout English history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharp
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharp, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharp 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 Sharp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 60,412
- Black or African American10.4% · 7,846
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,389
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,595
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 680
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 541
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharp
Sharp 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
#405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,990
+2,122 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 26.78
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,463
-3,527 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 25.25
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #371 | 76,868 | 28.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #405 | 78,990 | 26.78 | +2,122 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #426 | 75,463 | 25.25 | -3,527 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 21 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 Sharp 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 | #405 | #426 | -5.2% |
| Count | 78,990 | 75,463 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 26.78 | 25.25 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharp bearers went from 78,990 to 75,463 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #405 to #426.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sharp
FAQ
Sharp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharp?
Name Census estimates that about 86,535 living Americans carry the surname Sharp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,961 residents.
How common is Sharp?
Sharp ranks #426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,463 people with the surname Sharp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,535), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Sharp.
Has Sharp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharp went from 78,990 recorded bearers to 75,463. That is a decrease of 3,527 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #405 to #426.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharp, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sharp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (60,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sharp (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 Sharp mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who sharpens blades or tools, or a shrewd and quick-witted person. 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 Sharp (25.25 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 Sharp?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.