2000
#9,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,328
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Scheid
A German occupational surname referring to a boundary marker, border guard, or separator of land or property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,368 Americans carry the last name Scheid. That puts it at #10,439 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scheid 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
3.4K
1 in 101,768
Census rank
#10,439
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,937 bearers of the surname Scheid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10439th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scheid
The surname "SCHEID" is of German origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Lower Rhine region of Germany, specifically in areas around the town of Scheiden. The name is derived from the Old High German word "sceidan," which means "to separate" or "to divide."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus," a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland area, dated around 1460. This reference suggests that the name was associated with a person or family involved in land division or surveying tasks.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various records across the German states, including the "Kirchenbücher" (church registers) of Saxony and Bavaria. Notable individuals from this period include Hans Scheid, a merchant in Nuremberg (born circa 1520), and Katharina Scheid, a landowner in Hesse (born around 1548).
The 17th century saw the name spread across Europe, with records indicating Scheid families residing in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and even as far as England. One notable figure from this time was Johann Scheid, a philosopher and theologian from Strasbourg (1592-1667).
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the United States, with the arrival of German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances was Peter Scheid, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1738. Other notable individuals include Johann Adam Scheid, a Revolutionary War soldier (1756-1832), and Johann Scheid, a prominent farmer and landowner in Ohio (1780-1856).
The 19th century brought forth several notable Scheids, including Karl Scheid, a German historian and author (1823-1896), and Wilhelm Scheid, a renowned architect in Berlin (1846-1912).
Throughout history, the surname Scheid has been associated with various professions, ranging from land surveyors and merchants to scholars and artists. While the name has evolved in spelling and pronunciation across regions, its Germanic roots and connection to the concept of division or separation remain a consistent theme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scheid
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Scheid 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 Scheid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,742
- Two or more races3.1% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scheid
Scheid 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
#9,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,393
+65 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 552 places
2020
#10,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,937
-456 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,029 | 3,328 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,581 | 3,393 | 1.15 | +65 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 552 places |
| 2020 | #10,439 | 2,937 | 0.98 | -456 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 858 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 Scheid 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 | #9,581 | #10,439 | -9.0% |
| Count | 3,393 | 2,937 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.98 | -14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scheid bearers went from 3,393 to 2,937 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 858 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,581 to #10,439.
FAQ
Scheid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scheid?
Name Census estimates that about 3,368 living Americans carry the surname Scheid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,768 residents.
How common is Scheid?
Scheid ranks #10,439 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,937 people with the surname Scheid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Scheid.
Has Scheid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scheid went from 3,393 recorded bearers to 2,937. That is a decrease of 456 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,581 to #10,439.
What does the Census say about the background of Scheid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Scheid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scheid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Scheid (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 Scheid mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a boundary marker, border guard, or separator of land or property. 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 Scheid (0.98 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 have the surname Scheid?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.