2000
#7,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Shockey
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "robber's oak tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,854 Americans carry the last name Shockey. That puts it at #7,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shockey 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
4.9K
1 in 70,613
Census rank
#7,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,233 bearers of the surname Shockey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shockey
The surname Shockey has its origins in Scotland and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Scots word "shochie," which means a broad, flat piece of land or a tract of land by a river. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on such a piece of land.
Shockey is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname Shochie or Shoughie. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the Burgh of Lanark in Scotland, where the name appears as "Shochie" in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various Scottish parish records, often with different spellings such as Shochie, Shoughy, and Shoughie. These variations in spelling were common in those times, as there were no standardized rules for spelling.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Shochie, who was born in Scotland around 1610. Another notable figure was Robert Shochie, a Scottish merchant who was active in the early 18th century and is mentioned in several historical records related to trade and commerce.
In the 19th century, the name Shockey began to appear more frequently in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada, where Scottish immigrants had settled. One prominent individual with this surname was William Shockey (1805-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Another notable figure was James Shockey (1849-1923), a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and was involved in the establishment of several businesses in the province.
Other individuals with the surname Shockey include John Shockey (1795-1864), an American soldier who fought in the War of 1812, and Samuel Shockey (1830-1913), a Civil War veteran who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
While the surname Shockey is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich historical heritage that can be traced back to its Scottish origins and the early bearers of the name who played a role in various aspects of history across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shockey
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Shockey 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 Shockey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,851
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 158
- Two or more races3.4% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shockey
Shockey 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
#7,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,467
+61 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 448 places
2020
#7,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,233
-234 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,013 | 4,406 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,461 | 4,467 | 1.51 | +61 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 448 places |
| 2020 | #7,567 | 4,233 | 1.42 | -234 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 106 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 Shockey 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 | #7,461 | #7,567 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,467 | 4,233 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.42 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shockey bearers went from 4,467 to 4,233 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,461 to #7,567.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shockey
FAQ
Shockey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shockey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,854 living Americans carry the surname Shockey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,613 residents.
How common is Shockey?
Shockey ranks #7,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,233 people with the surname Shockey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Shockey.
Has Shockey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shockey went from 4,467 recorded bearers to 4,233. That is a decrease of 234 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,461 to #7,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Shockey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shockey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shockey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Shockey (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 Shockey mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "robber's oak tree." 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 Shockey (1.42 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 Shockey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.