2000
#26,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Sharper
A surname derived from the word "sharp," potentially referring to someone with keen intellect or skill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,060 Americans carry the last name Sharper. That puts it at #27,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 323,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sharper 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 Sharper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 323,353
Census rank
#27,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
924
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 924 bearers of the surname Sharper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharper, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sharper
The surname Sharper has its origins in England, dating back to the late 14th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "scearp," meaning "sharp" or "keen." It was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a sharp or keen personality or intellect.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sharper can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, where a John le Scharper is mentioned. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname was common practice during this period, indicating that the name was still considered a descriptive nickname rather than a hereditary surname.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records with slight variations in spelling, such as Sharper, Scharper, and Scherper. This was a common occurrence during this time, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.
The Sharper surname can be traced to various regions in England, including Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Thomas Sharper (1574-1630), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge.
2. John Sharper (1588-1654), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon during the English Civil War.
3. Henry Sharper (1645-1709), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several prominent buildings in London, including the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court.
4. Edward Sharper (1762-1842), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was decorated for his bravery.
5. William Sharper (1809-1875), a renowned English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and horticulture.
While the Sharper surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, the history and origins of the name remain firmly rooted in the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sharper
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharper, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sharper 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 Sharper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.8% · 784
- White7.0% · 65
- Two or more races5.8% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sharper
Sharper 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
#23,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,069
+224 bearers (+26.5%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 3,296 places
2020
#27,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 924
-145 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 3,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,987 | 845 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,691 | 1,069 | 0.36 | +224 bearers (+26.5%) | Up 3,296 places |
| 2020 | #27,616 | 924 | 0.31 | -145 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 3,925 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 Sharper 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 | #23,691 | #27,616 | -16.6% |
| Count | 1,069 | 924 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.31 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sharper bearers went from 1,069 to 924 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 3,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,691 to #27,616.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sharper
FAQ
Sharper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sharper?
Name Census estimates that about 1,060 living Americans carry the surname Sharper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 323,353 residents.
How common is Sharper?
Sharper ranks #27,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 924 people with the surname Sharper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Sharper.
Has Sharper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sharper went from 1,069 recorded bearers to 924. That is a decrease of 145 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,691 to #27,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Sharper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sharper, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sharper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (784 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sharper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.8%), White (7.0%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Sharper (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 Sharper mean?
A surname derived from the word "sharp," potentially referring to someone with keen intellect or skill. 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 Sharper (0.31 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 Sharper?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Sharper, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.