2000
#1,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.71
Uncommon Last name
Sheets
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of sheets, linens, or cloth goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,611 Americans carry the last name Sheets. That puts it at #1,777 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheets 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
23K
1 in 15,159
Census rank
#1,777
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,718 bearers of the surname Sheets in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1777th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheets, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheets
The surname "SHEETS" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "sceat" or "sceatt," which referred to a small piece of land or a strip of land. This name likely first emerged in the 8th or 9th century AD, when the Anglo-Saxons were settling in various parts of England.
The name "SHEETS" may have originated in areas where the Anglo-Saxons established settlements, such as the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. It is possible that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived on or owned a small plot of land or a strip of land near a village or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SHEETS" can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 11th century.
Over the centuries, the name "SHEETS" has undergone various spelling variations, such as "Sheat," "Shete," and "Sheit." These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the regional dialects in which the name was pronounced and recorded.
Notable individuals with the surname "SHEETS" include:
1. John Sheets (1776-1858), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
2. Mary Sheets (1887-1978), an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her roles in silent films.
3. Millard Sheets (1907-1989), an American artist and educator known for his works in various media, including painting, mosaic, and architectural design.
4. William Sheets (1819-1904), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
5. Robert Sheets (1936-2010), an American meteorologist and hurricane expert who worked for the National Hurricane Center.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who have borne the surname "SHEETS" throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheets
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheets, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheets 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 Sheets surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 17,963
- Two or more races3.5% · 687
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 588
- Black or African American1.4% · 281
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheets
Sheets 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
#1,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,384
+598 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 7.25
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#1,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,718
-1,666 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,582 | 20,786 | 7.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,685 | 21,384 | 7.25 | +598 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #1,777 | 19,718 | 6.60 | -1,666 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 92 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 Sheets 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 | #1,685 | #1,777 | -5.5% |
| Count | 21,384 | 19,718 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.25 | 6.60 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheets bearers went from 21,384 to 19,718 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,685 to #1,777.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sheets
FAQ
Sheets surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheets?
Name Census estimates that about 22,611 living Americans carry the surname Sheets. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,159 residents.
How common is Sheets?
Sheets ranks #1,777 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,718 people with the surname Sheets. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Sheets.
Has Sheets become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheets went from 21,384 recorded bearers to 19,718. That is a decrease of 1,666 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,685 to #1,777.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheets?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheets, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Sheets in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (17,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheets appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Sheets (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 Sheets mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of sheets, linens, or cloth goods. 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 Sheets (6.60 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 have the surname Sheets?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.