2000
#14,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Scheele
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "schele," meaning "squint-eyed" or "cross-eyed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,850 Americans carry the last name Scheele. That puts it at #17,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 185,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheele 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
1.9K
1 in 185,273
Census rank
#17,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,613 bearers of the surname Scheele in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheele, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheele
The surname SCHEELE originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "schele," meaning "squint-eyed" or "cross-eyed." This suggests the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a noticeable squint.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Scheele, located in the German state of Lower Saxony. This town likely took its name from a nearby stream or body of water, with the word "scheele" possibly referring to its crooked or winding shape.
In the late 16th century, a man named Hans Scheele was mentioned in a local church register in the town of Wolfenbüttel, also in Lower Saxony. This is one of the earliest documented uses of the surname in its modern spelling.
Carl Wilhelm Scheele, born in 1742 in Stralsund, Sweden, was a renowned chemist who discovered several elements, including oxygen, chlorine, and barium. He is considered one of the most important chemists of the Age of Enlightenment.
Another notable figure with the surname SCHEELE was Friedrich Scheele, born in 1819 in Hanover, Germany. He was a prominent architect and urban planner who designed several important buildings and public spaces in Berlin during the late 19th century.
In the early 20th century, Hermann Scheele, born in 1876 in Hannover, Germany, was a highly respected botanist and plant explorer. He led several expeditions to various parts of the world, including Africa and South America, and discovered numerous new plant species.
Theodor Scheele, born in 1851 in Solingen, Germany, was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Theodor Scheele AG company, which became one of the leading manufacturers of cutlery and surgical instruments in Europe.
The surname SCHEELE has also been found in historical records from other parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony, suggesting that the name may have originated independently in multiple regions before spreading to other areas through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheele
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheele, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheele 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 Scheele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,503
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 53
- Two or more races2.2% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheele
Scheele 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
#13,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,216
+395 bearers (+21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 1,252 places
2020
#17,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,613
-603 bearers (-27.2%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 3,522 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,912 | 1,821 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,660 | 2,216 | 0.75 | +395 bearers (+21.7%) | Up 1,252 places |
| 2020 | #17,182 | 1,613 | 0.54 | -603 bearers (-27.2%) | Down 3,522 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 Scheele 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 | #13,660 | #17,182 | -25.8% |
| Count | 2,216 | 1,613 | -27.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.54 | -28.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheele bearers went from 2,216 to 1,613 (-27.2% change). The surname moved down 3,522 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,660 to #17,182.
FAQ
Scheele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheele?
Name Census estimates that about 1,850 living Americans carry the surname Scheele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 185,273 residents.
How common is Scheele?
Scheele ranks #17,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,613 people with the surname Scheele. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Scheele.
Has Scheele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheele went from 2,216 recorded bearers to 1,613. That is a decrease of 603 (-27.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,660 to #17,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheele, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Scheele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Scheele (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 Scheele mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "schele," meaning "squint-eyed" or "cross-eyed." 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 Scheele (0.54 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 Scheele?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Scheele? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.