Explore the Family Name Shales
The meaning of Shales
English: 1. perhaps a nickname from an unrecorded Middle English shail ‘crooked gait, shuffling’ (attested in the adverb ashayle, 1530), derived from Middle English shailen ‘to stumble, shuffle’ and probably related to shailard (see Shaler). 2. variant of Seal, from Netherseal or Overseal (Derbyshire), recorded in medieval records as Seyle and Scheyle. 3. perhaps a variant of Sale with a palatalized pronunciation of initial S- as Sh-.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shales in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Shales saw a decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 60,887 but dropped to 70,403 by 2010, representing a decrease of 15.63%. The count of people with this surname also decreased from 309 to 278 during these years, a reduction of 10.03%. As a proportion per 100,000 individuals, the frequency of the Shales surname dropped from 0.11 to 0.09, marking a decline of 18.18%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #60,887 | #70,403 | -15.63% |
| Count | 309 | 278 | -10.03% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.09 | -18.18% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shales
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census revealed some shifts within the Shales surname carriers between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 94.82% of individuals with this name identified as White, decreasing slightly to 92.45% in 2010. There were no reported Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with this surname in 2000; however, by 2010, each of these ethnicities accounted for 1.80% of the Shales population. On the other hand, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic dropped from 1.94% in 2000 to none in 2010. No changes were recorded for those reporting two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.82% | 92.45% | -2.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.8% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 1.8% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.8% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 1.94% | 0% | 0% |