2000
#2,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.78
Uncommon Last name
Scherer
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the German word "scheren" meaning "to shear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,780 Americans carry the last name Scherer. That puts it at #2,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,873 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scherer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scherer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,873
Census rank
#2,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,017 bearers of the surname Scherer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scherer
The surname SCHERER has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "skerro," which means a tailor or cloth cutter. The name likely referred to an individual who worked as a tailor or had a connection to the textile trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a Johannes Scherer was mentioned in 1298. There are also references to individuals with the name in various medieval manuscripts from different regions of Germany.
During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled as Scherer or Scherer, but variations such as Schererr, Scherrer, and Schärrer also existed. These variations were often due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
The name SCHERER is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such example is Johann Scherer (1515-1578), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement.
Another prominent figure was Philipp Scherer (1572-1637), a German mathematician and astronomer who made important contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and planetary motion.
In the realm of literature, Georg Scherer (1824-1909) was a German philologist and literary historian who is known for his work on the history of German literature and language.
Moving into the modern era, Carl Scherer (1879-1951) was a German architect known for his Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs, including the iconic Altes Kurhaus in Baden-Baden.
Furthermore, the name SCHERER has been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Schererberg, a hill in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Scherersmühle, a former mill located in the state of Bavaria.
While the SCHERER name is predominantly German in origin, it has also been adopted and carried on by individuals and families in other parts of Europe and the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scherer
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Scherer 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 Scherer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 11,130
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 349
- Two or more races2.8% · 339
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 94
- Black or African American0.6% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scherer
Scherer 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
#2,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,421
+532 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.55
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#2,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,017
-1,404 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 4.02
Rank movement Down 246 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,580 | 12,889 | 4.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,682 | 13,421 | 4.55 | +532 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #2,928 | 12,017 | 4.02 | -1,404 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 246 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 Scherer 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 | #2,682 | #2,928 | -9.2% |
| Count | 13,421 | 12,017 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.55 | 4.02 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scherer bearers went from 13,421 to 12,017 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 246 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,682 to #2,928.
FAQ
Scherer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scherer?
Name Census estimates that about 13,780 living Americans carry the surname Scherer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,873 residents.
How common is Scherer?
Scherer ranks #2,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,017 people with the surname Scherer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Scherer.
Has Scherer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scherer went from 13,421 recorded bearers to 12,017. That is a decrease of 1,404 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,682 to #2,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Scherer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Scherer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (11,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scherer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Scherer (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 Scherer mean?
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the German word "scheren" meaning "to shear." 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 Scherer (4.02 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 Scherer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.