Find out how popular the last name Schaier is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schaier.

Schaier, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schaier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schaier in America

Schaier is the 159712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schaier surname appeared 101 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schaier.

The history of the last name Schaier

The surname Schaier originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages, likely derived from the German word "Scheuer" which means "barn" or "shed". This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who worked in or maintained a barn or similar structure.

One of the earliest known records of the Schaier surname is found in the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Bavaria, where a Hanns Schaier is mentioned in a 1456 tax registry. The name also appears in various 15th and 16th century church records from the surrounding regions of Franconia and Swabia.

In the 16th century, variants like Scheyer, Scheier, and Scheurer appear in records from the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Hesse. These spellings likely stemmed from regional dialects and scribal errors common in that era.

A notable early bearer of the name was Johann Schaier, a Protestant reformer born around 1500 in Memmingen, Swabia. He studied under Martin Luther and became a prominent theologian, publishing several works on Lutheran doctrine.

Another early Schaier was Hans Schaier, a 16th century master builder and architect from Augsburg, Bavaria. He is credited with designing the iconic Renaissance-style Perlachturm tower in Augsburg's city center.

Moving into the 17th century, we find records of a Peter Schaier, born around 1620 in Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire, now in France). He was a wealthy merchant and landowner whose estate helped establish the nearby village of Schaiersheim, likely named after his family.

The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Georg Schaier (1720-1790), a German astronomer and mathematician from Regensburg, Bavaria. He made significant contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits and published several influential works on celestial mechanics.

Finally, in the 19th century, we have August Schaier (1833-1916), a German-American brewer and entrepreneur from Stuttgart, Württemberg. He immigrated to the United States in 1854 and founded the successful Schaier Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schaier

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schaier.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schaier was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schaier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schaier, please contact us.

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