2000
#17,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,464
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Scheib
An East German surname derived from the German word "Scheibe" meaning slice or disk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,980 Americans carry the last name Scheib. That puts it at #16,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 173,108 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheib 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
2.0K
1 in 173,108
Census rank
#16,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,727 bearers of the surname Scheib in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheib, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheib
The surname SCHEIB originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th century, derived from the German word "scheibe," which means "disc" or "circular object." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who made or worked with discs or circular objects, perhaps a maker of wheels or dishes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHEIB surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Kloster Lüneburg in Lower Saxony, which mentions a "Heinricus Scheib" in 1187. Another early reference is found in the Codex Traditionum Mellicensium, a collection of documents from the Melk Abbey in Austria, where a "Hermannus Scheib" is mentioned in 1212.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the SCHEIB surname began to appear more frequently in various records across German-speaking regions. For example, a "Cunradus Scheib" is listed in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Goslar, a collection of documents from the city of Goslar, in 1292. Additionally, a "Johannes Scheib" is mentioned in the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Arnoldstein, a collection of records from the Arnoldstein Abbey in Austria, in 1348.
One notable individual with the SCHEIB surname was Johann Scheib (1594-1662), a German artist and engraver from Nuremberg. He is known for his intricate copperplate engravings and illustrations in various books and publications of his time.
Another historically significant figure was Johann Baptist Scheib (1700-1772), a German Jesuit priest and philosopher from Freiburg im Breisgau. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and authored several works on philosophy and theology.
In the 19th century, Johann Baptist Scheib (1800-1860) from Bavaria was a respected Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Munich. He wrote extensively on topics related to canon law and church history.
Anna Scheib (1843-1920) was a German writer and educator from Saxony. She authored several children's books and educational materials, contributing significantly to the field of children's literature in her time.
Lastly, Theodor Scheib (1880-1945) was a German architect and urban planner from Berlin. He was influential in the development of modern urban planning principles and designed several notable buildings and housing projects in Germany during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheib
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheib, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheib 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 Scheib surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,598
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 76
- Two or more races2.4% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheib
Scheib 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
#18,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,469
+5 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 1,032 places
2020
#16,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,727
+258 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 2,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,671 | 1,464 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,703 | 1,469 | 0.50 | +5 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 1,032 places |
| 2020 | #16,205 | 1,727 | 0.58 | +258 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 2,498 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 Scheib 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 | #18,703 | #16,205 | 13.4% |
| Count | 1,469 | 1,727 | 17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.58 | 15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheib bearers went from 1,469 to 1,727 (+17.6% change). The surname moved up 2,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,703 to #16,205.
FAQ
Scheib surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheib?
Name Census estimates that about 1,980 living Americans carry the surname Scheib. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 173,108 residents.
How common is Scheib?
Scheib ranks #16,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,727 people with the surname Scheib. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Scheib.
Has Scheib become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheib went from 1,469 recorded bearers to 1,727. That is an increase of 258 (+17.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,703 to #16,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheib?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheib, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Scheib in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheib appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Scheib (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 Scheib mean?
An East German surname derived from the German word "Scheibe" meaning slice or disk. 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 Scheib (0.58 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 Scheib?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.