2000
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Schaper
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of containers or vessels, such as barrels or jugs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,519 Americans carry the last name Schaper. That puts it at #13,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaper surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,068
Census rank
#13,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,197 bearers of the surname Schaper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaper
The surname Schaper has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "schapare," which means "to create" or "to make." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a craftsman or artisan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Schaper name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Henricus Schaper was mentioned in a document from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany. Around the same time, the name also appeared in records from the region of Westphalia, indicating that it was already well-established in different parts of the country.
During the 14th century, the Schaper name was found in various manuscripts and legal documents from the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. This suggests that some Schapers may have been involved in trade or commerce during this period.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Schaper was the German theologian and reformer Johannes Schaper (1499-1570). He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Saxony.
Another notable Schaper was the German painter and etcher Johann Schaper (1621-1670), who was known for his landscapes and biblical scenes. His works can still be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Schaper surname was the German sculptor and artist Rudolf Schaper (1833-1894). He was a prominent figure in the Prussian art world and created several monumental works, including the statue of Friedrich Wilhelm III in Berlin.
Other notable Schapers throughout history include the German author and playwright Edzard Schaper (1908-1984), known for his novels and plays set in rural Westphalia, and the Dutch-American physicist Dirk Schaper (1931-2018), who made significant contributions to the field of semiconductor physics and electronics.
While the Schaper name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaper
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaper bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Schaper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,005
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaper
Schaper appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,498
+70 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 617 places
2020
#13,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,197
-301 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 861 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,818 | 2,428 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,435 | 2,498 | 0.85 | +70 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 617 places |
| 2020 | #13,296 | 2,197 | 0.74 | -301 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 861 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Schaper surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,435 | #13,296 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,498 | 2,197 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.74 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaper bearers went from 2,498 to 2,197 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 861 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,435 to #13,296.
FAQ
Schaper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaper?
Name Census estimates that about 2,519 living Americans carry the surname Schaper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,068 residents.
How common is Schaper?
Schaper ranks #13,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,197 people with the surname Schaper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schaper.
Has Schaper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaper went from 2,498 recorded bearers to 2,197. That is a decrease of 301 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,435 to #13,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schaper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Schaper (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Schaper mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of containers or vessels, such as barrels or jugs. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Schaper (0.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Schaper?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.