2000
#4,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,253
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Sherry
A locational surname referring to people from Chéry, France, or an occupational name for a tender of oxen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,861 Americans carry the last name Sherry. That puts it at #4,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherry 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 Sherry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,602
Census rank
#4,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,855 bearers of the surname Sherry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherry
The surname Sherry is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scir," meaning "bright" or "shining." It is believed to have originated in the county of Surrey, England, where it was initially used as a descriptive name for someone with a fair complexion or shining appearance.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Sherry can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scireman," indicating a person from the shire or county. During the Middle Ages, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Schirrye, Schirrey, and Shurry, before settling on the modern form of Sherry.
One notable historical figure bearing the Sherry surname was Sir Richard Sherry, born in 1505 in Devon, England. He was a prominent lawyer and served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another early bearer of the name was John Sherry, a merchant from Bristol, England, who was active in the 16th century and is credited with introducing the fortified wine known as sherry to England from Spain.
In the 17th century, the name Sherry was associated with the town of Sherrington in Wiltshire, England, which was formerly known as Sherryngton. This place name connection likely contributed to the prevalence of the surname in that region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Sherry surname was William Sherry, born in 1620 in Sherrington, Wiltshire. He later emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia, becoming one of the first bearers of the name in the New World.
Another notable figure was Robert Sherry, born in 1675 in Somerset, England. He was a renowned scholar and linguist, known for his translations of Persian poetry and his contributions to the study of Eastern languages.
In the 18th century, the name Sherry gained prominence in Scotland, where it was associated with the town of Sherry in Aberdeenshire. One prominent Scottish bearer of the name was Andrew Sherry, born in 1740, who served as a military officer during the American Revolutionary War.
As the Sherry surname spread across the United Kingdom and later to other parts of the world, it became associated with various occupations and professions. In the 19th century, notable individuals with this surname included the English painter John Sherry, born in 1805, and the American lawyer and politician Benjamin Sherry, born in 1825 in New York.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherry
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherry 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 Sherry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 6,089
- Two or more races3.6% · 250
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 204
- Black or African American2.5% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherry
Sherry 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
#4,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,271
+18 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#4,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,855
-416 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,505 | 7,253 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,846 | 7,271 | 2.46 | +18 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #4,964 | 6,855 | 2.29 | -416 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 118 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 Sherry 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 | #4,846 | #4,964 | -2.4% |
| Count | 7,271 | 6,855 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.29 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherry bearers went from 7,271 to 6,855 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,846 to #4,964.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sherry
FAQ
Sherry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherry?
Name Census estimates that about 7,861 living Americans carry the surname Sherry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,602 residents.
How common is Sherry?
Sherry ranks #4,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,855 people with the surname Sherry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Sherry.
Has Sherry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherry went from 7,271 recorded bearers to 6,855. That is a decrease of 416 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,846 to #4,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) 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 Sherry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (6,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), 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 Sherry (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 Sherry mean?
A locational surname referring to people from Chéry, France, or an occupational name for a tender of oxen. 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 Sherry (2.29 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 Sherry?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Sherry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.