Explore the Family Name Sheff
The meaning of Sheff
1. Americanized form of German Schöpf (see Schopf) and Scheff, and also of Schepp. Compare Shepp. 2. Americanized form of French Canadian Cheff. 3. Jewish (American): shortened form of some original eastern Ashkenazic surname; compare Sheftel. 4. In some cases possibly also an Americanized form of Slovenian Šef: from a Slovenized form of the Middle High German term schepfe ‘juryman’ (see Schopf), which was used as a translation into German of the Slovenian feudal status name for a village judge sodja. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sheff in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Sheff has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. During this period, the rank of the surname improved from 31,235 to 29,947, marking a change of approximately 4.12%. In terms of the count, there was an increase from 702 people with the Sheff surname in 2000 to 784 in 2010, a change of 11.68%. The proportion of individuals with the surname per 100k also increased by 3.85% from 0.26 to 0.27.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,235 | #29,947 | 4.12% |
| Count | 702 | 784 | 11.68% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.27 | 3.85% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sheff
The ethnicity distribution for the surname Sheff, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows some variations over the 2000-2010 decade. The proportion of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 19.01%, while those identifying with two or more races dropped by 10.27%. People identifying as White made up the largest percentage, although this decreased slightly by 2.81%. The Hispanic representation saw an increase of 22.51%, and the Black population increased by 9.16%. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw the most significant increase, with a change of 43.66%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.07% | 72.96% | -2.81% |
| Black | 18.23% | 19.9% | 9.16% |
| Hispanic | 2.71% | 3.32% | 22.51% |
| Two or More Races | 1.85% | 1.66% | -10.27% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.42% | 1.15% | -19.01% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.71% | 1.02% | 43.66% |