2000
#2,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.60
Uncommon Last name
Shockley
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wheat sheaves or bundles of grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,533 Americans carry the last name Shockley. That puts it at #2,984 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,327 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shockley 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
14K
1 in 25,327
Census rank
#2,984
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,801 bearers of the surname Shockley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2984th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shockley
The surname Shockley originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sceacca" and "leah," which translates to "dweller by the shake or shake wood." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a wooded area known for its abundant oak trees.
The earliest recorded reference to the Shockley name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Schokkesley." This spelling variation reflects the medieval practice of adapting surnames to local dialects and pronunciations.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Shokesleye" and "Shokkesley," in records from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. These entries provide insight into the geographical spread of the Shockley family across different counties in England.
One notable early bearer of the Shockley surname was Sir John Shokley, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III at the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. His bravery and service to the crown were documented in chronicles of the time.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes associated with place names like Shackleford, a village in Surrey, and Shackleton, a hamlet in Yorkshire. This connection suggests that some Shockley families may have derived their surname from the locations where they resided.
Another prominent figure with the Shockley surname was Thomas Shockley (1557-1618), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of York from 1609 until his death. His published works include sermons and theological treatises that provide valuable insights into religious thought during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
During the 17th century, records show the Shockley name appearing in various parts of England, including Essex, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. One notable individual from this period was William Shockley (1634-1692), a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol.
In the 19th century, the Shockley surname gained further prominence with the birth of William Bradford Shockley (1910-1989), an American physicist and Nobel laureate. He was instrumental in the development of the transistor and made significant contributions to the field of solid-state physics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shockley
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Shockley 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 Shockley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 9,422
- Black or African American11.4% · 1,344
- Two or more races4.6% · 542
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 346
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shockley
Shockley 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
#2,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,504
+91 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#2,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,801
-703 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,675 | 12,413 | 4.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,877 | 12,504 | 4.24 | +91 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #2,984 | 11,801 | 3.95 | -703 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 107 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 Shockley 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 | #2,877 | #2,984 | -3.7% |
| Count | 12,504 | 11,801 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.24 | 3.95 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shockley bearers went from 12,504 to 11,801 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,877 to #2,984.
FAQ
Shockley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shockley?
Name Census estimates that about 13,533 living Americans carry the surname Shockley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,327 residents.
How common is Shockley?
Shockley ranks #2,984 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,801 people with the surname Shockley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Shockley.
Has Shockley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shockley went from 12,504 recorded bearers to 11,801. That is a decrease of 703 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,877 to #2,984.
What does the Census say about the background of Shockley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shockley, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Shockley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (9,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shockley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (11.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Shockley (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 Shockley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wheat sheaves or bundles of grain. 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 Shockley (3.95 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 Shockley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.