The Shephard surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,859 people carried this name — #5,105 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 42,900 people counted. That is up 5% from 6,519 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Shephard surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the shepherd’.

An early record he cites: Josse le Sephurde, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Shepard, Shephard, Sheppard, Sheppherd and Shepherd.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 684 · public domain.

In print

Shephard in American newspapers,
1888.

Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Shephard
The Evening World 1888-09-18
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Shephard
The Evening World 1888-09-18
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Shephard
The Evening World 1888-09-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Shephard in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

12,314 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shephard. The most, 3,275, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,489
South Australia 3,779
Queensland 1,275
Western Australia 1,018
Victoria 857
Tasmania 811
ACT (Canberra) 51
Northern Territory 8

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shephard.

Who carried it

People named Shephard,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Isaac F. Shepard
    Isaac F. Shepard 1816–1889 · military officer
  • Esther Shephard
    Esther Shephard 1891–1975 · writer
  • Maurice Shephard d. 2011
  • William Shephard 1783– · naval officer
  • John Shephard 1796–1878
  • Joseph Shephard 1822–1898 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shephard,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States726 records

726 records of the Shephard name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 196
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 192
  • Other U.S. records 338
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James D. Shephard

    Born 1920 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1942 at Eugene, Oregon; mechanic from Ramsey County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1981, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Shephard

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Escort from Liverpool, aged 45; laborer. From Bristol, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Brian H. Shephard

    U.S. Navy veteran. Born 1965, died 2000; buried at Duncan Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 726 records for Shephard in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia311 records

311 records of the Shephard name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 144
  • Tasmanian Names Index 92
  • Other Australian records 75
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ruby Pretoria May Shephard

    Born 1900 in 1 Brooke St, Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1919 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 18.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edward Shephard

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Henry Porcher, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1842.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Shephard

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Atalanta, aged 23; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 311 records for Shephard in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada99 records

99 records of the Shephard name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 75
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 7
  • Other Canadian records 17
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Thomas Shephard

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the L'Abondence, bound for Port Roseway, aged 55.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas Shephard

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Sarmatian, bound for Brampton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Llewellyn Shephard

    Buried in 1972 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 89.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 99 records for Shephard in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom23 records

23 records of the Shephard name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet Shephard

    Died 1995, aged 82; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Shephard

    Buried in 1820 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 29.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. E. Shephard

    Hampshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 23 records for Shephard in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Shephard name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joseph Shephard

    Married in 1682 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Joanna Maria Shephard

    Born 1891 in Maastricht.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Frances Shephard

    In the population register of Velsen; born 1821 in Cornwall.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Shephard in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Shephard name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Jane Shephard

    Died 1908, aged 45; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Shephard in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Shephard name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gilberte Suzanne Shephard

    Born 1915 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shephard.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shephard is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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