2000
#14,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Scheck
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a moneychanger or coin tester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,156 Americans carry the last name Scheck. That puts it at #15,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheck 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
2.2K
1 in 158,977
Census rank
#15,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,880 bearers of the surname Scheck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheck, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheck
The surname Scheck is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is thought to have derived from the German word "Schecker," which referred to a checker or a person responsible for collecting tolls or taxes. Another possible origin is from the name of a place called Scheckendorf in Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Scheck can be found in the "Bairisches Wörterbuch" (Bavarian Dictionary) from the 16th century, where it is mentioned as a variant spelling of the word "Schecker." This suggests that the name was already in use during that period.
In the 17th century, the Scheck surname appeared in various church records and land registries across Germany. For example, a Johannes Scheck was recorded as a tenant farmer in the village of Neckarweihingen in Baden-Württemberg in 1632.
The surname Scheck has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Johann Kaspar Scheck (1755-1830), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Freiburg. Another was Karl Scheck (1808-1885), a German Catholic priest and theologian who wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church.
In the 19th century, the Scheck surname spread beyond Germany with the wave of German immigration to other parts of the world. Johann Georg Scheck (1821-1897) was a German-American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, while Heinrich Scheck (1842-1915) was a German-American brewer and entrepreneur who founded the Scheck Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the Scheck surname include Hans Scheck (1918-2005), a German physicist known for his contributions to quantum field theory, and Joachim Scheck (born 1958), a German politician and member of the Bundestag (German parliament).
Throughout its history, the Scheck surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Scheck, Schek, and Scheque, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheck
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheck, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheck 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 Scheck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 1,761
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 58
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheck
Scheck 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
#15,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
+107 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 344 places
2020
#15,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,880
-69 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,783 | 1,842 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,127 | 1,949 | 0.66 | +107 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 344 places |
| 2020 | #15,069 | 1,880 | 0.63 | -69 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 58 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 Scheck 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 | #15,127 | #15,069 | 0.4% |
| Count | 1,949 | 1,880 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.63 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheck bearers went from 1,949 to 1,880 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,127 to #15,069.
FAQ
Scheck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheck?
Name Census estimates that about 2,156 living Americans carry the surname Scheck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,977 residents.
How common is Scheck?
Scheck ranks #15,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,880 people with the surname Scheck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Scheck.
Has Scheck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheck went from 1,949 recorded bearers to 1,880. That is a decrease of 69 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,127 to #15,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheck, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Scheck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (1,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Scheck (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 Scheck mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a moneychanger or coin tester. 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 Scheck (0.63 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 are called Scheck?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Scheck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.