2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schellpfeffer
A German surname derived from "schelle" meaning bell and "pfeffer" for pepper, possibly referring to an occupation or describing a shrill personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Schellpfeffer. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schellpfeffer 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Schellpfeffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schellpfeffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schellpfeffer
The surname SCHELLPFEFFER originates from Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have roots in the old German words "schelle" meaning "bell" and "pfeffer" meaning "pepper." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a profession or occupation, such as a bell maker or pepper trader.
The earliest known records of the name SCHELLPFEFFER can be traced to the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where it appeared in local tax records and guild registers from the late 1400s. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a specific family or group of artisans in this region.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name SCHELLPFEFFER began to spread across various parts of Germany, with notable individuals bearing the surname appearing in historical documents. One such person was Hans SCHELLPFEFFER, a merchant from Nürnberg who was mentioned in a trade agreement with the city of Augsburg in 1572.
Another notable figure was Katharina SCHELLPFEFFER, a midwife from the town of Bamberg who gained recognition for her work during a scarlet fever outbreak in 1638. Her contributions were documented in local church records and medical journals of the time.
During the 18th century, the SCHELLPFEFFER name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony and Brandenburg. One notable individual was Johann Friedrich SCHELLPFEFFER, a Lutheran pastor born in Dresden in 1718, who authored several religious texts and sermons.
In the 19th century, the SCHELLPFEFFER surname gained prominence in the field of academia. Friedrich Wilhelm SCHELLPFEFFER, born in Berlin in 1825, was a renowned linguist and professor at the University of Heidelberg, renowned for his work on Germanic languages.
Another prominent figure was Karl SCHELLPFEFFER, a German architect born in Munich in 1867, who designed several notable buildings in Bavaria, including the Neues Rathaus in Augsburg and the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich.
While the SCHELLPFEFFER name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, the detailed historical records and notable individuals mentioned above highlight the rich heritage and significance of this surname within the German cultural landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schellpfeffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Schellpfeffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schellpfeffer 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 Schellpfeffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schellpfeffer
Schellpfeffer 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,938 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,938 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,484 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 Schellpfeffer 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 | #138,304 | #142,788 | -3.2% |
| Count | 121 | 119 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schellpfeffer bearers went from 121 to 119 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,788.
FAQ
Schellpfeffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schellpfeffer?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Schellpfeffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Schellpfeffer?
Schellpfeffer ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Schellpfeffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Schellpfeffer.
Has Schellpfeffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schellpfeffer went from 121 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Schellpfeffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schellpfeffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Schellpfeffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schellpfeffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Schellpfeffer (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 Schellpfeffer mean?
A German surname derived from "schelle" meaning bell and "pfeffer" for pepper, possibly referring to an occupation or describing a shrill personality. 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 Schellpfeffer (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 have the last name Schellpfeffer?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Schellpfeffer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.