2000
#623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.37
Uncommon Last name
Shields
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of shields or a person who lived near a shelter or refuge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 56,576 Americans carry the last name Shields. That puts it at #676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shields 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 Shields with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
57K
1 in 6,058
Census rank
#676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 49,337 bearers of the surname Shields in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shields, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shields
The surname Shields is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "scield," meaning "shield" or "shelter." It first appeared in England during the medieval period, primarily in the northern counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shields can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Scild" and "Scheld." These early spellings reflect the evolution of the name from its Old English roots.
The name Shields was initially used as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who made or carried shields, or perhaps someone who provided shelter or protection. It may have also been used to denote someone who lived near a prominent or distinctive shield-shaped landmark.
In the 13th century, records show a Willelmus Sheld in the Curia Regis Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221. John de Scheles was mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as John del Sheles in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, and William atte Schelde in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
Notable historical figures with the surname Shields include:
1. Thomas Shields (c. 1615-1690), an English Puritan clergyman and writer.
2. James Shields (1806-1879), an Irish-American politician and military officer who served as a United States Senator and a Union general during the American Civil War.
3. Mary Shields (1840-1912), an American educator and advocate for women's rights and education.
4. William Shields (1867-1951), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Amarillo, Texas.
5. Samuel Shields (1922-2009), an American actor best known for his role as Mr. Smoot in the television series Dennis the Menace.
Over time, the surname Shields has spread throughout the English-speaking world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by generations of immigrants from the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shields
Among Census respondents with the surname Shields, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shields 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 Shields surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 35,932
- Black or African American18.0% · 8,898
- Two or more races4.1% · 2,030
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,660
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 447
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 370
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shields
Shields 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
#672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,832
+1,276 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 17.23
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,337
-1,495 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 16.51
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #623 | 49,556 | 18.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #672 | 50,832 | 17.23 | +1,276 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #676 | 49,337 | 16.51 | -1,495 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 4 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 Shields 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 | #672 | #676 | -0.6% |
| Count | 50,832 | 49,337 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 17.23 | 16.51 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shields bearers went from 50,832 to 49,337 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #672 to #676.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shields
FAQ
Shields surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shields?
Name Census estimates that about 56,576 living Americans carry the surname Shields. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,058 residents.
How common is Shields?
Shields ranks #676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 49,337 people with the surname Shields. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (56,576), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Shields.
Has Shields become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shields went from 50,832 recorded bearers to 49,337. That is a decrease of 1,495 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #672 to #676.
What does the Census say about the background of Shields?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shields, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Shields in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (35,932 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shields appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Shields (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 Shields mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of shields or a person who lived near a shelter or refuge. 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 Shields (16.51 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 Shields?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.