2000
#9,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,333
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Scheel
A German and Danish habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a shallow place in a body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,702 Americans carry the last name Scheel. That puts it at #9,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheel 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
3.7K
1 in 92,586
Census rank
#9,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,228 bearers of the surname Scheel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheel
The surname Scheel originated in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "schele," which means "squint-eyed" or "cross-eyed." This suggests that the name was initially a nickname given to someone with this physical characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scheel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a person named Conradus Schele was mentioned in the year 1288. Additionally, the name appears in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of charters and documents from the German state of Württemberg, where a certain Hanns Schele was recorded in 1382.
In the 15th century, the surname Scheel was associated with a noble family from Pomerania, a historical region in northern Germany and western Poland. This family produced several notable figures, including Albrecht von Scheel (1430-1490), who served as the Bishop of Havelberg, and Eggert von Scheel (1470-1541), a military commander and diplomat.
Another prominent individual bearing the surname Scheel was Joachim Scheel (1519-1594), a German jurist and statesman who served as the Chancellor of Saxony-Lauenburg. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the University of Helmstedt and the codification of Saxon law.
During the 17th century, the name Scheel was also found in the records of the Dutch Republic. One notable bearer was Gijsbert van Scheel (1609-1678), a Dutch admiral who participated in several naval battles against the English and the French during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Scheel was August Wilhelm Scheel (1781-1846), a German theologian and philologist. He served as the rector of the University of Tübingen and made significant contributions to the study of Old German literature.
Throughout history, the surname Scheel has also been associated with various places and geographical locations, such as Scheelingen (a town in Germany), Scheelfelde (a village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany), and Scheelesee (a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheel
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheel 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 Scheel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,963
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 149
- Two or more races2.1% · 69
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheel
Scheel 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
#9,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,504
+171 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 272 places
2020
#9,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
-276 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,017 | 3,333 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,289 | 3,504 | 1.19 | +171 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 272 places |
| 2020 | #9,618 | 3,228 | 1.08 | -276 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 329 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 Scheel 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 | #9,289 | #9,618 | -3.5% |
| Count | 3,504 | 3,228 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.08 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheel bearers went from 3,504 to 3,228 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,289 to #9,618.
FAQ
Scheel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheel?
Name Census estimates that about 3,702 living Americans carry the surname Scheel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,586 residents.
How common is Scheel?
Scheel ranks #9,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,228 people with the surname Scheel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Scheel.
Has Scheel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheel went from 3,504 recorded bearers to 3,228. That is a decrease of 276 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,289 to #9,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Scheel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Scheel (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 Scheel mean?
A German and Danish habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a shallow place in a body of water. 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 Scheel (1.08 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 Americans have the surname Scheel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.