How common is the surname Shepard?

39,430 people in the United States had the surname Shepard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,830 Americans. It ranked 882nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Shepard?

Alan Shepard, American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998), followed by Sam Shepard.

Where is the surname Shepard most common?

Wikidata records people named Shepard in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain and 1 other country.

Is the surname Shepard getting more or less common?

More common. 38,705 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,430 in 2010, up 1.9%.

The surname Shepard

A surname, carried by 39,430 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex S163

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Shepard is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 39,430 people named Shepard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,830 Americans. That is up 1.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 38,705.

#882

rank among US surnames

39,430

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.9%

change since 2000 (was #815)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#873	Bernal	39,693	7,778
#874	Nava	39,670	7,783
#875	Ayers	39,623	7,792
#876	Everett	39,593	7,798
#877	Ventura	39,580	7,801
#878	Avery	39,564	7,804
#879	Pugh	39,559	7,805

Who is named Shepard

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

77% of people named Shepard identified as white (not Hispanic), 17% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 77%
Black (not Hispanic) 17%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Shepards

20 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Alan Shepard
American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998)
Sam Shepard
American playwright and actor (1943–2017)
Matthew Shepard
American LGBT student and murder victim, 1976–1998
Dax Shepard
American podcaster and actor, born 1975
Ernest Howard Shepard
British artist (1879-1976)
Sara Shepard
American author, born 1977
Vonda Shepard
American singer (born 1963)
Lucius Shepard
American writer (1943–2014)
Roger Shepard
American psychologist (1929–2022)
Patty Shepard
American actress (1945-2013)
Richard Shepard
American screenwriter, born 1965
Elliott Fitch Shepard
American lawyer and newspaper editor, 1833–1893

Notable Shepards come mostly from the United States (16), the United Kingdom (2) and Spain (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Shepard

Shepard has the Soundex code S163, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S163.

Questions

How common is the surname Shepard?: 39,430 people in the United States had the surname Shepard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,830 Americans. It ranked 882nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Shepard?: In the 2010 Census, 77% of people named Shepard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 17% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Shepard?: Alan Shepard, American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998), followed by Sam Shepard.
Where is the surname Shepard most common?: Wikidata records people named Shepard in the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain and 1 other country.
Is the surname Shepard getting more or less common?: More common. 38,705 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 39,430 in 2010, up 1.9%.