2000
#41,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 487
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Shove
A surname related to the action of shoving or pushing forcefully.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 623 Americans carry the last name Shove. That puts it at #42,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 550,167 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shove 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 Shove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
623
1 in 550,167
Census rank
#42,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
543
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 543 bearers of the surname Shove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 42928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shove, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shove
The surname SHOVE is of English origin, with its earliest documented instances dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scufan," meaning "to push" or "to shove," which may have initially referred to a person's occupation or physical characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHOVE surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named William Shove is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Midlands region of England during that time period.
In the late 14th century, the surname SHOVE appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain John Shove was listed as a tenant in 1379. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the northern counties of England during the medieval era.
The SHOVE surname can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Shove Green in Staffordshire and Shove Lane in Worcestershire. These locations likely took their names from early settlers bearing the SHOVE surname, further reinforcing the name's deep roots in the English countryside.
One notable historical figure with the SHOVE surname was Sir Robert Shove (1572-1630), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628. He played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the city during the early 17th century.
Another prominent individual was John Shove (1660-1729), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire and published several works on theology and philosophy during his lifetime.
In the realm of literature, the surname SHOVE is associated with the English writer and essayist Frederic Shove (1865-1939), who was known for his works on philosophical and economic topics, as well as his contributions to the Fabian Society.
The SHOVE surname also has ties to the military, with individuals like Major General John Shove (1786-1833), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of Fort St. George in Madras, India.
Furthermore, the SHOVE name can be found in the annals of academia, with scholars such as Raymond Shove (1892-1962), a British economist and pioneer in the field of industrial economics, who made significant contributions to the understanding of labor markets and wage determination.
While these examples provide glimpses into the rich history and diverse backgrounds of individuals bearing the SHOVE surname, it is important to note that the surname's origins and its evolution over centuries remain deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic landscape of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shove
Among Census respondents with the surname Shove, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Shove 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 Shove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 467
- Two or more races7.9% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shove
Shove 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
#47,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 445
-42 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 5,619 places
2020
#42,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 543
+98 bearers (+22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 4,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,995 | 487 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,614 | 445 | 0.15 | -42 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 5,619 places |
| 2020 | #42,928 | 543 | 0.18 | +98 bearers (+22.0%) | Up 4,686 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 Shove 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 | #47,614 | #42,928 | 9.8% |
| Count | 445 | 543 | 22.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.18 | 21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shove bearers went from 445 to 543 (+22.0% change). The surname moved up 4,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,614 to #42,928.
FAQ
Shove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shove?
Name Census estimates that about 623 living Americans carry the surname Shove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 550,167 residents.
How common is Shove?
Shove ranks #42,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 543 people with the surname Shove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (623), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shove.
Has Shove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shove went from 445 recorded bearers to 543. That is an increase of 98 (+22.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,614 to #42,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Shove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shove, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (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 Shove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (467 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Hispanic (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 Shove (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 Shove mean?
A surname related to the action of shoving or pushing forcefully. 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 Shove (0.18 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 Shove?
See how many people have the last name Shove on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.