Explore the Family Name Shapleigh

The meaning of Shapleigh

English (Devon): variant of Shapley. This form of the surname has now died out in Britain. History: Thomas Shapleigh (1765–1800), born in Kittery MA, was librarian of Harvard College in the 1790s.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Shapleigh in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Shapleigh saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 76,946th most popular, but by 2010, it had slipped to 82,908th, marking a 7.75 percent decline. The number of people bearing this last name also decreased from 232 in 2000 to 227 in 2010, a change of -2.16 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#76,946#82,908-7.75%
Count232227-2.16%
Proportion per 100k0.090.08-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shapleigh

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the vast majority of individuals with the surname Shapleigh identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a slight decrease from 97.41 percent to 95.59 percent over the decade. Noticeably, there were no individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native recorded in either year. However, there was a small emergence of individuals identifying as Hispanic in the 2010 census, accounting for 2.20 percent.

20002010Change
White97.41%95.59%-1.87%
Hispanic0%2.2%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%