2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scherbing
A surname derived from a town near Kiel, Germany called Scherbingen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Scherbing. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scherbing 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Scherbing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scherbing
The surname Scherbing is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Prussia during the late medieval period around the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "scher," meaning "to shear" or "to cut," and may have originally referred to an occupation such as a wool shearer or a tailor.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Scherbing can be found in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1492, which lists a Hans Scherbing as a resident. Additionally, there are records of a family with the name Scherbing living in the town of Bamberg in the early 16th century.
Historical records indicate that the Scherbing surname was also present in the region of East Prussia, which was part of the Kingdom of Prussia from the 18th century onwards. One notable individual bearing this name was Johann Scherbing (1701-1773), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.
In the 19th century, the Scherbing name spread to other parts of Germany and Europe as a result of migration and population movements. One prominent figure from this era was Carl Scherbing (1858-1930), a German painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Another individual of note was Otto Scherbing (1877-1957), a German businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the automotive industry in the early 20th century. He served as the CEO of the Daimler-Benz company from 1926 to 1942.
During the 20th century, the Scherbing name also found its way to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through immigration and diaspora movements. One notable figure from this period was Walter Scherbing (1909-1993), a German-American architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several major projects in Los Angeles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scherbing
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Scherbing 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 Scherbing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scherbing
Scherbing 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,477 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 17,477 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,299 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 Scherbing 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 | #157,234 | #150,935 | 4.0% |
| Count | 103 | 108 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scherbing bearers went from 103 to 108 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,935.
FAQ
Scherbing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scherbing?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Scherbing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Scherbing?
Scherbing ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Scherbing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Scherbing.
Has Scherbing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scherbing went from 103 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Scherbing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherbing, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Scherbing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scherbing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Scherbing (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 Scherbing mean?
A surname derived from a town near Kiel, Germany called Scherbingen. 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 Scherbing (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 are called Scherbing?
You can see how many people are called Scherbing on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.