2000
#8,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Scheffler
A German occupational surname denoting a steward or manager of an estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,046 Americans carry the last name Scheffler. That puts it at #8,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,714 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheffler 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
4.0K
1 in 84,714
Census rank
#8,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,528 bearers of the surname Scheffler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheffler
The surname Scheffler is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word 'scheffel', meaning a unit of dry measure. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade involving the measurement or distribution of grains or other dry goods.
The earliest recorded instances of the Scheffler surname date back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, where variations in spelling such as Scheffler, Schefler, and Scheffeler were common. Place names like Schefflenz, a town in Baden-Württemberg, may also have influenced the development of the surname.
In the 16th century, Johannes Scheffler (1624-1677) was a prominent German poet and mystic who wrote under the pen name Angelus Silesius. His work, which explored themes of mysticism and spirituality, is considered a significant contribution to the German Baroque literary tradition.
Another notable figure was Johann Scheffler (1668-1733), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of cartography. His celestial maps and astronomical calculations were highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Scheffler (1808-1882) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building and the Old National Gallery.
Georg Scheffler (1899-1978) was a German artist and sculptor known for his modern abstract works. His sculptures, which often featured geometric shapes and industrial materials, were widely exhibited throughout Europe during the mid-20th century.
More recently, Udo Scheffler (born 1949) is a German writer and journalist who has published numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including biographies and travel literature.
While these are just a few examples, the Scheffler surname has a long and diverse history, with individuals from various fields and backgrounds contributing to its legacy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheffler
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheffler 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 Scheffler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,263
- Two or more races3.3% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheffler
Scheffler 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
#8,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,052
+357 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 65 places
2020
#8,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,528
-524 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 721 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,249 | 3,695 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,184 | 4,052 | 1.37 | +357 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 65 places |
| 2020 | #8,905 | 3,528 | 1.18 | -524 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 721 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 Scheffler 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 | #8,184 | #8,905 | -8.8% |
| Count | 4,052 | 3,528 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.18 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheffler bearers went from 4,052 to 3,528 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 721 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,184 to #8,905.
FAQ
Scheffler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheffler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,046 living Americans carry the surname Scheffler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,714 residents.
How common is Scheffler?
Scheffler ranks #8,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,528 people with the surname Scheffler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Scheffler.
Has Scheffler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheffler went from 4,052 recorded bearers to 3,528. That is a decrease of 524 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,184 to #8,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheffler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheffler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Scheffler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheffler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Scheffler (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 Scheffler mean?
A German occupational surname denoting a steward or manager of an estate. 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 Scheffler (1.18 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 Scheffler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.