2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Scheen
A surname of German origin meaning "beautiful" or "fair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Scheen. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheen 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Scheen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheen
The surname SCHEEN has its origins traced back to Germany, where it is believed to have first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "schön," meaning "beautiful" or "fair," and was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered attractive or had a pleasing appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SCHEEN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, where it appears as "Schone" in a document dated 1187. This suggests that the name may have initially been spelled in various ways, such as "Schone" or "Schön," before evolving into its modern form.
During the medieval period, the SCHEEN surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was associated with several notable families and individuals. In the 14th century, a nobleman named Konrad Scheen was recorded as holding lands in the vicinity of Nuremberg, indicating the name's presence among the German aristocracy.
The SCHEEN surname also appears in several historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Liber Vitae, a manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Germany and was established in neighboring regions as well.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname SCHEEN is Hans Scheen, a German artist and printmaker who lived from approximately 1470 to 1522. His woodcuts and engravings, which often depicted religious scenes, are considered important examples of early Renaissance art in Germany.
Another notable figure with the SCHEEN surname was Johann Scheen, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1528 to 1589. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg, where he taught theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the SCHEEN surname was associated with several notable military figures, including Johann Wilhelm von Scheen, a German general who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was known for his strategic leadership and played a significant role in various battles during the conflict.
During the 18th century, the SCHEEN name was also found among the intellectual and academic circles of Germany. Johann Friedrich Scheen (1711-1789) was a respected philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus and was a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences.
As the centuries progressed, the SCHEEN surname continued to be represented in various fields, including the arts, sciences, and literature. In the 19th century, Carl Scheen (1819-1892) was a German composer and conductor who gained recognition for his orchestral works and operas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheen
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheen 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 Scheen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheen
Scheen 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-5 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,371 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -5 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 11,371 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Scheen 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheen bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Scheen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheen?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Scheen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Scheen?
Scheen ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Scheen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Scheen.
Has Scheen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheen went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Scheen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Scheen (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 Scheen mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "beautiful" or "fair." 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 Scheen (0.04 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 share the surname Scheen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.