How common is the surname Sharkey?

8,514 people in the United States had the surname Sharkey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 36,263 Americans. It ranked 4,163rd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Sharkey?

Ray Sharkey, American stage, film and television actor (1952–1993), followed by Jack Sharkey.

Where is the surname Sharkey most common?

Wikidata records people named Sharkey in the United States.

How do you pronounce Sharkey?

Sharkey is /ˈʃɑɹki/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Sharkey getting more or less common?

More common. 8,106 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,514 in 2010, up 5.0%.

The surname Sharkey

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 8,514 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈʃɑɹki/ 2 syllables Soundex S620

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Sharkey is more common than 97.4% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Searcaigh (“descendant of Searcach”), from searcach (“beloved”).

Sharkey is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,514 people named Sharkey in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 36,263 Americans. That is up 5.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,106.

#4,163

rank among US surnames

8,514

people in 2010

2.9

per 100,000 Americans

+5%

change since 2000 (was #4,020)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,159	Petrie	8,520	36,238
#4,160	Elliot	8,518	36,246
#4,162	Fullerton	8,517	36,251
#4,163	Sharkey	8,514	36,263

Who is named Sharkey

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

87% of people named Sharkey identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.5% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 87%
Black (not Hispanic) 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Sharkeys

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ray Sharkey
American stage, film and television actor (1952–1993)
Jack Sharkey
American boxer (1902–1994)
Tom Sharkey
American boxer (1873–1953)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Sharkey

Sharkey has the Soundex code S620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S620.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Sharkey come from?: Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Searcaigh (“descendant of Searcach”), from searcach (“beloved”).
How common is the surname Sharkey?: 8,514 people in the United States had the surname Sharkey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 36,263 Americans. It ranked 4,163rd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Sharkey?: In the 2010 Census, 87% of people named Sharkey identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.5% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Sharkey?: Ray Sharkey, American stage, film and television actor (1952–1993), followed by Jack Sharkey.
Where is the surname Sharkey most common?: Wikidata records people named Sharkey in the United States.
How do you pronounce Sharkey?: Sharkey is /ˈʃɑɹki/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Sharkey?: Sharkey is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Sharkey getting more or less common?: More common. 8,106 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,514 in 2010, up 5.0%.