2000
#22,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Schepers
An occupational surname deriving from the Dutch word for "shearer" or wool-cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,172 Americans carry the last name Schepers. That puts it at #25,362 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 292,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schepers 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
1.2K
1 in 292,453
Census rank
#25,362
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,022 bearers of the surname Schepers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25362nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schepers, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schepers
The surname Schepers originated in the Low Countries, which today comprises the modern nations of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle Dutch word "scheper," which means "shepherd" or "one who tends to sheep."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schepers can be found in the archives of the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands, dating back to the 15th century. In these records, a certain Jan Schepers is mentioned as a prominent citizen and landowner. The name was particularly prevalent in the provinces of Holland and Zeeland during this period.
In the 16th century, the Schepers name appeared in various historical documents and records across the Low Countries. For instance, in the manuscript "Chronyke van Antwerpen" (Chronicle of Antwerp), written in 1565, a merchant named Pieter Schepers is mentioned as one of the leading traders in the city.
During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, several notable individuals bore the surname Schepers. One such person was Hendrik Schepers, a renowned painter born in Amsterdam in 1628 and known for his landscapes and seascapes. Another notable Schepers was Jan Schepers, a theologian and author born in Utrecht in 1650, who wrote extensively on religious matters.
The name Schepers has also been associated with place names in the Low Countries. For example, the village of Schepershuizen in the Dutch province of Gelderland likely derived its name from the presence of families with the surname Schepers in the area.
In the 18th century, the Schepers surname continued to be prominent in the Low Countries. One notable individual was Hendrik Schepers, born in Rotterdam in 1720, who was a successful merchant and ship owner. Another figure was Pieter Schepers, a Dutch military officer born in Delft in 1786, who served in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of colonel.
As the centuries passed, the Schepers surname spread beyond the Low Countries, with families bearing this name settling in various parts of Europe and even in the Americas. Despite its widespread distribution, the surname's origins remain deeply rooted in the Dutch-speaking regions of the Low Countries and its historical association with the occupation of shepherding.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schepers
Among Census respondents with the surname Schepers, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schepers 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 Schepers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.8% · 989
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 18
- Two or more races1.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schepers
Schepers 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
#23,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,087
+18 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 936 places
2020
#25,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,022
-65 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,461 | 1,069 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,397 | 1,087 | 0.37 | +18 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 936 places |
| 2020 | #25,362 | 1,022 | 0.34 | -65 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 1,965 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 Schepers 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 | #23,397 | #25,362 | -8.4% |
| Count | 1,087 | 1,022 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.34 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schepers bearers went from 1,087 to 1,022 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 1,965 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,397 to #25,362.
FAQ
Schepers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schepers?
Name Census estimates that about 1,172 living Americans carry the surname Schepers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 292,453 residents.
How common is Schepers?
Schepers ranks #25,362 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,022 people with the surname Schepers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Schepers.
Has Schepers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schepers went from 1,087 recorded bearers to 1,022. That is a decrease of 65 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,397 to #25,362.
What does the Census say about the background of Schepers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schepers, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Schepers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schepers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.8%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Schepers (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 Schepers mean?
An occupational surname deriving from the Dutch word for "shearer" or wool-cutter. 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 Schepers (0.34 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 are called Schepers?
If you just want to know how common the surname Schepers is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.