The Short surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 57,477 people carried this name — #581 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,130 people counted. That is up 3% from 55,903 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Short surname
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 30 births for the Short name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Shortt.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 512 people named Short live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Formosa.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
33 people named Short live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 26 people named Short.
Most of them — 20 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Seine-Maritime.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
47 people named Short is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Short was found among the farmers of 4 counties.
It was most frequent in Northumberland: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.
In Scotland’s registers today
Short was recorded 42 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 622nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 44. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
115 families named Short, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 685 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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
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
Short in American newspapers,
1831–1843.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,611 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Short in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.
119,636 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Short. The most, 18,118, date from the 1920s. 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 1.4 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Short.
Who carried it
People named Short,
with a public archive behind them.
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Patrick Short d. 1870 · missionary
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Henry Middleton Short d. 1844 · naval officer
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Richard Short d. 1708
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Joan Short d. 1994
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Mary Short d. 1765
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Sophia Short d. 1865
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Short,
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 States5,218 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,946
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 890
- Other U.S. records 2,382
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Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Orville C. ShortBorn 1916 in Illinois. Enlisted 1942 at Chicago; clerk from Rock Island. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Emily ShortArrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; seamstress. From Liverpool, England.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) -
Example: U.S. war memorial War record Clifford T. ShortBorn 1931; from Dallas County, Texas. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
Showing 3 of 5,218 records for Short in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).
Australia2,553 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,108
- Queensland State Archives indexes 495
- Other Australian records 950
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Margaret ShortTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Dublin in 1848. Native of Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 38.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Joseph ShortTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Blenheim, sailing from Cork in 1851. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 23.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Berisford ShortArrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Ann Dashwood, aged 29; English.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 2,553 records for Short in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · 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: 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).
Canada271 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 122
- City of Calgary cemetery records 43
- Other Canadian records 106
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Helen ShortKilled in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 35; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Thos G. ShortCame to Ontario in 1867 aboard the Go Washington, landing at N y, bound for Weston, Ontario; English.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record John S. ShortBuried in 1950 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 73.
Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
Showing 3 of 271 records for Short 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. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
United Kingdom119 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 84
- Stirling Council burial records 24
- Other British records 11
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record David P. ShortBuried in 1892 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 18.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Augustus ShortWill proved in 1940; of Swansea.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) -
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record William H. ShortDied 1917. Named in the roll of honour (1926).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
Showing 3 of 119 records for Short in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).
New Zealand34 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 23
- Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 9
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Neville Charles ShortDied 1994, aged 77; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record James Samuel ShortBuried in 1960 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 79.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Archibald Grant ShortDied 1991, aged 87; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 34 records for Short in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
Netherlands15 records
- Dutch church registers before 1811 10
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
- Dutch population registers 2
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Philip ShortMarried in 1924 in Apeldoorn; farmer.
Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Elsphet ShortMarried in 1652 in Rotterdam.
Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Robert ShortMarried in 1637 in Bergen op Zoom; born in England.
Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 15 records for Short 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).
France9 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Jacques ShortBorn 1922 in Le Havre; died 1993 in Sainte-Adresse (Seine-Maritime).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Muriel Bessie ShortBorn 1918 in Great Britain; died 1994 in the United Kingdom.
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 9 records for Short in France.
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 Short.
- Shivers 6,939 · U.S. census
- Shockley 12,504 · U.S. census
- Shoemaker 30,934 · U.S. census
- Shook 16,070 · U.S. census
- Shore 10,130 · U.S. census
- Shores 7,691 · U.S. census
- Shorter 8,675 · U.S. census
- Shoup 5,164 · U.S. census
- Showalter 8,786 · U.S. census
- Showers 5,171 · U.S. census
- Shrader 6,855 · U.S. census
- Shreve 6,321 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Short is.
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