2000
#536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.72
Uncommon Last name
Short
A descriptive surname referring to a person of short stature or living near a short geographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,281 Americans carry the last name Short. That puts it at #603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,503 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Short 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 Short with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,503
Census rank
#603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,312 bearers of the surname Short in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Short, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Short
The surname Short is an English name with origins dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "scort," which means "short" or "small in stature." This nickname likely referred to someone who was shorter than average height at the time.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Short can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Scort, Scorte, and Shorte, indicating the evolution of the modern spelling over time.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Short became more widespread across England, particularly in counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. It was often associated with place names like Shortwood, Shortsfield, and Shortmead, reflecting the areas where families with this surname resided.
One notable bearer of the surname Short was William Short, an English diplomat and writer who lived from 1759 to 1849. He served as the United States Minister to the Netherlands and later to Spain, and was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson.
Another significant figure was Sir Frank Short, an English architect and designer who lived from 1857 to 1945. He is best known for his work on the Savoy Hotel in London and the Wembley Stadium.
In the literary world, Reginald Short was an English writer and critic born in 1890. He was a prominent figure in the Bloomsbury Group and wrote extensively on English literature and culture.
The surname Short was also influential in the field of science. Charles Wilkins Short, born in 1794, was an American botanist and physician known for his contributions to the study of plants and their medicinal properties.
Finally, one of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Short, an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1556 during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.
Throughout history, the surname Short has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting its widespread presence and longevity as an English surname. While its origins may have been humble, it has left an indelible mark across various fields and disciplines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Short
Among Census respondents with the surname Short, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Short 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 Short surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 43,969
- Black or African American10.1% · 5,487
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,329
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,682
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 434
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 411
Timeline
Historical Census data for Short
Short 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
#581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,477
+1,574 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 19.49
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,312
-3,165 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 18.17
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #536 | 55,903 | 20.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #581 | 57,477 | 19.49 | +1,574 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #603 | 54,312 | 18.17 | -3,165 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 22 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 Short 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 | #581 | #603 | -3.8% |
| Count | 57,477 | 54,312 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 19.49 | 18.17 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Short bearers went from 57,477 to 54,312 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #581 to #603.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Short
FAQ
Short surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Short?
Name Census estimates that about 62,281 living Americans carry the surname Short. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,503 residents.
How common is Short?
Short ranks #603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,312 people with the surname Short. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Short.
Has Short become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Short went from 57,477 recorded bearers to 54,312. That is a decrease of 3,165 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #581 to #603.
What does the Census say about the background of Short?
Among Census respondents with the surname Short, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Short in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (43,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Short appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (10.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Short (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 Short mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a person of short stature or living near a short geographical feature. 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 Short (18.17 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 people have the surname Short?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.