Shumway
An English-language surname of uncertain but likely nickname or occupational origin, preserved in a distinctive American family name.
The #6,434 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,497 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Shumway is not securely explained by the excerpts provided, and the old reference material here only shows the name in passing rather than defining it. The form looks English in shape, but its exact root is uncertain from these sources alone. It may ultimately belong to the large group of surnames that arose from a byname, a place-name, or an altered occupational term, but the evidence here is too thin to be more definite.
History
Shumway is best known today as an American surname. The available excerpts do not give an origin story, but they do show the name in use by the early 20th century in scholarly and biographical contexts. Its relatively limited numbers in the United States fit the pattern of a long-established but not especially common family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In the 2010 U.S. Census, Shumway ranked 6,434th among surnames, with about 5,278 bearers.
From the historical record
“Shumaiker, 355. Shumway, 417. Shun, 141. Shunk, 62.”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)