The Shockley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,504 people carried this name — #2,877 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 23,600 people counted. That is up 1% from 12,413 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Shockley surname

Probably a habitational surname from the village of Shocklach, in Cheshire, from Old English sċucca (“goblin, evil spirit, demon”) + læcc (“boggy stream”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Shockley» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 families named Shockley, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 126 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 13
South Carolina 6
Virginia 4
Massachusetts 1
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 261 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Shockley in American newspapers,
1903–1913.

Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Shockley
The Washington Times 1906-11-04
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Shockley
The Salt Lake Herald 1903-05-10
Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Tribune carrying the name Shockley
The Salt Lake Tribune 1913-06-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 29,400 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shockley in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1980s.

48 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shockley. The most, 25, date from the 1900s.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 20
South Australia 12
New South Wales 5
Queensland 5
ACT (Canberra) 3
Victoria 3

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

Who carried it

People named Shockley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Hillman Shockley
    William Hillman Shockley 1855–1925 · botanical collector
  • M. A. W. Shockley
    M. A. W. Shockley 1874–1956 · physician
  • Marian Shockley
    Marian Shockley 1908–1981 · actor
  • Sam Shockley
    Sam Shockley 1909–1948 · criminal
  • Marian Shockley
    Marian Shockley 1911–1981 · actor
  • Babe Shockley 1878–

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 Shockley,
in the records of 3 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 States657 records

657 records of the Shockley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 430
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 194
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 17
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 4
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 1
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bobby Joe Shockley

    Born 1947; from St Louis, Missouri. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John T. Shockley

    Born 1923 in Alabama. Enlisted 1943 at Fort McClellan; dyer from Tallapoosa County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1944, buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1868 aboard the Colorado from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 27; laborer. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 657 records for Shockley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Shockley name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Alberta Shockley

    Died 1968; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Harold Gordon Shockley

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Shockley

    Buried in 1960 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Shockley in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia2 records

2 records of the Shockley name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Shockley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1864 aboard the Lincolnshire, aged 18.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record W. H. Shockley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1902 aboard the Ortona, aged 30.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shockley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shockley 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.

See the Shockley volume
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