What is the meaning of 份 in 身份? Is 份 used as a word pointing to a papers i.e. documents (passport and so on)? Or is it used as a 'division' so as to differentiate a man from man (身 body in our case)?
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In the past, it was 身分, which means the social position of an individual.
http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000131140
Somehow, in modern times, it evolved to 身份. Indeed, in Taiwan, the identity card is called "身分證", while in Hong Kong, it is called "身份證".
I would say that both "身分" & "身份" have their supporters.
If you can read traditional Chinese characters, there's a pdf about the controversy over "分" or "份" in the translation of "identity card", by the law drafting division, Department of Justice, of Hong Kong.
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/ics/clrc/crcl_48/yen.pdf
Have fun :)
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same in 大陆：bkrs，MDGB： 身份证 identity card / ID, 證 traditional for 证 – user6065 Jul 24 '16 at 16:48
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answer confirmed by web search using "身份 vs。 身分" , additional information at http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/14015-%E8%BA%AB%E4%BB%BD-vs-%E8%BA%AB%E5%88%86/ – user6065 Jul 24 '16 at 17:17
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In Singapore it's 身份证 – Wayne Cheah Aug 18 '20 at 03:00