2000
#10,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Scheetz
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schütze," meaning marksman or archer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,889 Americans carry the last name Scheetz. That puts it at #11,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheetz 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
2.9K
1 in 118,641
Census rank
#11,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,519 bearers of the surname Scheetz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheetz
The surname SCHEETZ originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Old German word "Scheitz," which referred to a jester or court fool. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to jesters or entertainers employed by nobility or royalty.
In the 17th century, variations of the name such as Scheitz, Scheitze, and Scheitzer can be found in historical records from various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. The name's association with the court jester occupation persisted during this time, with several individuals bearing the surname serving in this role for various noble houses.
One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Scheetz, a court jester who lived in the late 16th century and served under the Elector Palatine in Heidelberg. Historical accounts describe him as a skilled entertainer and wit, renowned for his clever wordplay and satirical observations.
As the name spread throughout Germany, its spelling evolved further, with the current form "SCHEETZ" becoming more common in the 18th and 19th centuries. During this period, the name also began to appear in other parts of Europe, as some individuals bearing the surname migrated to neighboring regions.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname SCHEETZ was Johann Scheetz, a German philosopher and scholar born in 1812. He authored several works on ethics and metaphysics, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Scheetz, born in 1835 in Bavaria. He was a renowned architect and urban planner, known for his innovative designs and contributions to the development of several German cities.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. In the late 19th century, a family bearing the surname SCHEETZ settled in the United States, with descendants still carrying on the name to this day.
One such descendant was William Scheetz, born in 1875 in Pennsylvania, who became a prominent businessman and philanthropist, supporting various educational and charitable causes in his community.
Throughout its history, the surname SCHEETZ has maintained its ties to its German origins, while also evolving and adapting as it spread across different regions and cultures. Despite its humble beginnings as an occupational name, it has been carried by scholars, architects, and influential figures, leaving a lasting legacy in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheetz
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheetz 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 Scheetz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 2,380
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 65
- Two or more races2.2% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheetz
Scheetz 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
#10,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,034
+187 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#11,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,519
-515 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,369 | 2,847 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,563 | 3,034 | 1.03 | +187 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #11,886 | 2,519 | 0.84 | -515 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 1,323 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 Scheetz 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 | #10,563 | #11,886 | -12.5% |
| Count | 3,034 | 2,519 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.84 | -18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheetz bearers went from 3,034 to 2,519 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 1,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,563 to #11,886.
FAQ
Scheetz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheetz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,889 living Americans carry the surname Scheetz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,641 residents.
How common is Scheetz?
Scheetz ranks #11,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,519 people with the surname Scheetz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Scheetz.
Has Scheetz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheetz went from 3,034 recorded bearers to 2,519. That is a decrease of 515 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,563 to #11,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheetz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheetz, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) 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 Scheetz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (2,380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheetz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.6%), 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 Scheetz (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 Scheetz mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schütze," meaning marksman or archer. 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 Scheetz (0.84 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 Scheetz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.