Explore the Family Name Sheeran

The meaning of Sheeran

Irish and occasionally also English: variant of Shearin. This name has also been adopted in Ireland (Roscommon) for Ó Searbháin, ‘descendant of Searbhán’, a personal name based on searbh ‘bitter’. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Eilis, Eoin, Fintan.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sheeran has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Sheeran ranked at 17059 in terms of commonality, but by 2010 it had risen to 15651, marking an 8.25% increase. In terms of sheer numbers, there were 1535 people with the surname Sheeran recorded in the census of 2000. By 2010, that number had grown to 1866, an impressive increase of 21.56%. The proportion of individuals named Sheeran per 100k also saw a rise from 0.57 to 0.63, indicating a growth of 10.53%.

20002010Change
Rank#17,059#15,6518.25%
Count1,5351,86621.56%
Proportion per 100k0.570.6310.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sheeran

The ethnicity associated with the surname Sheeran has shown some shifts as well according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of Sheerans identified as White (95.83%), followed by Hispanic (2.15%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.91%), Two or more races (0.78%), and Black (0.33%). The figures for American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed for privacy. By 2010, there were some noticeable changes. While the majority still identified as White (93.84%), the percentage had decreased slightly. There was a significant increase in the proportion identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (1.88%) and Hispanic (3.05%). Those identifying as Two or more races decreased to 0.59%, and no Sheerans identified as Black, with the figures for American Indian and Alaskan Native remaining suppressed.

20002010Change
White95.83%93.84%-2.08%
Hispanic2.15%3.05%41.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.91%1.88%106.59%
Two or More Races0.78%0.59%-24.36%
Black0.33%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%