How common is the surname Sheppard?

36,960 people in the United States had the surname Sheppard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,354 Americans. It ranked 938th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Sheppard?

Scott S. Sheppard, American astronomer, followed by Mel Sheppard.

Where is the surname Sheppard most common?

Wikidata records people named Sheppard in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Sheppard getting more or less common?

More common. 35,554 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 36,960 in 2010, up 4.0%.

Is Sheppard also a first name?

Yes. Sheppard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Sheppard

An English occupational surname, carried by 36,960 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). Sheppard is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Middle English, from schepherde (“shepherd”).

Sheppard is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 36,960 people named Sheppard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,354 Americans. That is up 4.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 35,554.

#938

rank among US surnames

36,960

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4%

change since 2000 (was #889)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#929	Xiong	37,499	8,233
#930	Hayden	37,451	8,244
#931	Cano	37,368	8,262
#932	Levy	37,228	8,293
#933	Huber	37,170	8,306
#934	Richmond	37,053	8,333
#935	Moyer	37,050	8,333

Who is named Sheppard

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

67% of people named Sheppard identified as white (not Hispanic), 27% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 67%
Black (not Hispanic) 27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Sheppards

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Scott S. Sheppard
American astronomer, born 1977
Mel Sheppard
American athlete (1883–1942)
W. Morgan Sheppard
British actor (1932–2019)
Steve Sheppard
American basketball player (born 1954)
Reed Sheppard
American basketball player (born 2004)
William Henry Sheppard
African American missionary for the Presbyterian Church (1865–1927)
Ben Sheppard
American basketball player (born 2001)
Sam Sheppard
American neurosurgeon (1923-1970)
Dave Sheppard
American weightlifter (1931–2000)
John Calhoun Sheppard
American politician (1850–1931)
Jeff Sheppard
American basketball player (born 1974)
Jim Sheppard
American musician, born 1961

Notable Sheppards come mostly from the United States (12) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Sheppard

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

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Sheppard come from?: From Middle English, from schepherde (“shepherd”).
How common is the surname Sheppard?: 36,960 people in the United States had the surname Sheppard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,354 Americans. It ranked 938th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Sheppard?: In the 2010 Census, 67% of people named Sheppard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 27% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Sheppard?: Scott S. Sheppard, American astronomer, followed by Mel Sheppard.
Where is the surname Sheppard most common?: Wikidata records people named Sheppard in the United States and the United Kingdom.
What type of surname is Sheppard?: Sheppard is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Sheppard getting more or less common?: More common. 35,554 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 36,960 in 2010, up 4.0%.
Is Sheppard also a first name?: Yes. Sheppard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.