2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scherban
An occupational surname referring to a worker in textiles or clothing manufacturing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Scherban. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scherban 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Scherban in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherban, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scherban
The surname SCHERBAN originated in Ukraine, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian word "scherbyna," meaning a cleft or a ravine. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a ravine or a similar geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SCHERBAN can be found in the Cossack Registers of the 17th century. These registers were important documents that recorded the names of Cossacks, a semi-military group that played a significant role in the history of Ukraine.
In the 18th century, the name SCHERBAN appeared in various church records and census documents in the regions of Poltava and Chernihiv, which were part of the Cossack Hetmanate at the time. This indicates that the name was prevalent among the Cossack population in these areas.
A notable figure with the surname SCHERBAN was Mykola Scherban, who lived in the late 18th century and was a Cossack leader and military commander. He played a role in the Koliivshchyna uprising against Polish rule in the region.
Another individual worth mentioning is Yevhen Scherban, a Ukrainian businessman and politician who lived from 1946 to 2012. He was a prominent figure in the industrial and energy sectors of Ukraine after its independence from the Soviet Union.
In the 19th century, the name SCHERBAN can be found in various genealogical records and census data from the Russian Empire, which included parts of modern-day Ukraine at the time. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original region and was present in other areas with Ukrainian populations.
The surname SCHERBAN has also been associated with several place names in Ukraine, such as the village of Scherbany in the Poltava region. This further reinforces the connection between the name and geographical features in the region.
Throughout its history, the surname SCHERBAN has maintained its ties to its Ukrainian origins, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scherban
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherban, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Scherban 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 Scherban surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scherban
Scherban 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+17 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,437 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-28 bearers (-21.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 23,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 6,437 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -28 bearers (-21.7%) | Down 23,891 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 Scherban 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 | #131,379 | #155,270 | -18.2% |
| Count | 129 | 101 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scherban bearers went from 129 to 101 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 23,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #155,270.
FAQ
Scherban surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scherban?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Scherban. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Scherban?
Scherban ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Scherban. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Scherban.
Has Scherban become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scherban went from 129 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 28 (-21.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Scherban?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherban, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Scherban in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scherban appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Scherban (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 Scherban mean?
An occupational surname referring to a worker in textiles or clothing manufacturing. 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 Scherban (0.03 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 Scherban?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.