Explore the Family Name Sha
The meaning of Sha
1. Chinese: Mandarin or Cantonese form of the surname 沙, meaning ‘sand’ in Chinese: (i) from Sha (沙), the name of an ancient state (located in Hebei province). (ii) from the placename Sha (沙), the name of a fief (located in Henan province) granted to descendants of Song Weizi, the founder of the state of Song during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (iii) shortened form of the compound surnames Sha Sui (沙隨) and Gong Sha (公沙), both of which can be traced back to the ancient state of Sha Sui (沙隨) (located in Henan province) during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC), which was annexed by the state of Song during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iv) said to be borne by descendants of the Su Sha (夙沙) family, an ancient family which was already established prior to the Xia dynasty (2070–1600 BC). (v) one of the major surnames of the state of Bai Ji (located in present-day Korean Peninsula). 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 謝, see Xie 1. 3. Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani: variant of Shah. 4. Burmese (Karen): from a rare variant of the personal name Sar ‘star’. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Fei, Ching, Ding, Feng, Hongjian, Jian, Ke, Lei, Ling, Weijian, Xin, Xue. Indian Deven, Gaurang, Suresh.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sha in the United States?
The surname Sha has seen a significant increase in popularity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it ranked 31,704 in popularity with 689 individuals carrying the surname. This increased to a rank of 23,866 by 2010, with 1,058 individuals bearing the name, marking an impressive growth of 53.56%. The proportion of individuals named Sha per 100,000 also rose from 0.26 to 0.36 during this decade, indicating a 38.46% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,704 | #23,866 | 24.72% |
| Count | 689 | 1,058 | 53.56% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.36 | 38.46% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sha
Regarding ethnicity, the majority of people with the surname Sha identify as Asian/Pacific Islander according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 73.15% fell into this category, growing to 75.71% by 2010 - a positive change of 3.5%. However, there was a decrease in those identifying as White, falling from 20.9% in 2000 to 17.39% in 2010. Hispanic representation saw an increase of 82.76%, although they still only make up a small portion of those with the Sha surname at 2.65%. The percentage of those identifying as Black slightly decreased, and no data was reported for those identifying as two or more races or American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 73.15% | 75.71% | 3.5% |
| White | 20.9% | 17.39% | -16.79% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2.65% | 82.76% |
| Black | 2.61% | 2.36% | -9.58% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |