2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Scharfman
An Ashkenazic Jewish surname derived from the German words "scharf" (sharp) and "mann" (man), likely referring to a person with keen eyesight or intelligence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Scharfman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scharfman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Scharfman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scharfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scharfman
The surname Scharfman is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "scharf," meaning "sharp" or "keen," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or occupation. The name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century, referring to someone who worked as a sword sharpener, knife grinder, or in a similar trade involving sharp implements.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Bürgerausschuss records of the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in 1387, where a certain Hans Scharfman is mentioned as a resident. Another early reference can be found in the Wittenberg archives from 1492, which lists a Johannes Scharfman as a member of the local guild of metalworkers.
In the 16th century, the name Scharfman is recorded in various regions of Germany, including the cities of Augsburg, Leipzig, and Cologne. One notable bearer of the name was Martin Scharfman (1534-1608), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Scharffmann, Scharffman, and Scharpfman. These variations can be found in historical records from various regions, including the Palatinate, Bavaria, and Saxony.
Another prominent individual with the surname Scharfman was Johann Friedrich Scharfman (1677-1742), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.
In the 19th century, the name Scharfman began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, likely due to emigration. One notable example is Abram Scharfman (1828-1901), a Jewish merchant and philanthropist who was born in the Prussian province of Posen (now part of Poland) and later settled in London, England.
Other notable bearers of the Scharfman surname include Otto Scharfman (1866-1936), a German-American painter and illustrator known for his depictions of the American West; and Hans Scharfman (1887-1967), a German-born American actor and film director who worked in Hollywood during the early 20th century.
Overall, the surname Scharfman has a rich history rooted in the medieval German trades and has since spread across various regions, contributing to the cultural and professional diversity of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scharfman
Among Census respondents with the surname Scharfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Scharfman 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 Scharfman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scharfman
Scharfman 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-18 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,033 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 25,033 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 6,408 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 Scharfman 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 | #148,347 | #154,755 | -4.3% |
| Count | 111 | 102 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scharfman bearers went from 111 to 102 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 6,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,755.
FAQ
Scharfman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scharfman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Scharfman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Scharfman?
Scharfman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Scharfman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Scharfman.
Has Scharfman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scharfman went from 111 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Scharfman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scharfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) 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 Scharfman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scharfman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), 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 Scharfman (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 Scharfman mean?
An Ashkenazic Jewish surname derived from the German words "scharf" (sharp) and "mann" (man), likely referring to a person with keen eyesight or intelligence. 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 Scharfman (0.03 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 common is the surname Scharfman?
Want to know how many people are called Scharfman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.