2000
#30,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 725
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Sheilds
A surname derived from an occupation related to shield-making or armor smithing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 717 Americans carry the last name Sheilds. That puts it at #38,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 478,040 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheilds 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 Sheilds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
717
1 in 478,040
Census rank
#38,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
625
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 625 bearers of the surname Sheilds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheilds, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheilds
The surname Sheilds is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scield" which means "shield" or "protector". It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely as an occupational name for a shield maker or someone who carried a shield into battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sheilds can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a John le Shieldmaker was listed. This suggests that the surname was already in use as an occupational name by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Schelde, Shelde, and Shyld in various records across England. The variant spelling Sheilds is thought to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century.
The surname Sheilds has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir Ralph Sheilds, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Sheilds (1615-1690), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, James Sheilds (1722-1793) was a celebrated Scottish painter and portraitist, known for his works depicting members of the British aristocracy.
During the American Revolutionary War, John Sheilds (1747-1824) served as a Colonel in the Continental Army and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
In the 19th century, Samuel Sheilds (1825-1897) was a prominent American politician who served as a United States Senator from Missouri and played a significant role in the debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War.
While the Sheilds surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and the British Empire. Today, it remains a relatively common surname, particularly in the United Kingdom, United States, and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheilds
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheilds, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheilds 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 Sheilds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 383
- Black or African American27.4% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 34
- Two or more races3.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheilds
Sheilds 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
#30,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 752
+27 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#38,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 625
-127 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 7,264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,412 | 725 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,916 | 752 | 0.25 | +27 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #38,180 | 625 | 0.21 | -127 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 7,264 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 Sheilds 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 | #30,916 | #38,180 | -23.5% |
| Count | 752 | 625 | -16.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.21 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheilds bearers went from 752 to 625 (-16.9% change). The surname moved down 7,264 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,916 to #38,180.
FAQ
Sheilds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheilds?
Name Census estimates that about 717 living Americans carry the surname Sheilds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 478,040 residents.
How common is Sheilds?
Sheilds ranks #38,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 625 people with the surname Sheilds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (717), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Sheilds.
Has Sheilds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheilds went from 752 recorded bearers to 625. That is a decrease of 127 (-16.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,916 to #38,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheilds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheilds, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Sheilds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheilds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.3%), Black (27.4%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Sheilds (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 Sheilds mean?
A surname derived from an occupation related to shield-making or armor smithing. 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 Sheilds (0.21 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 Sheilds?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.