2000
#10,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Schermerhorn
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone living near a sluice or floodgate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,178 Americans carry the last name Schermerhorn. That puts it at #10,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schermerhorn 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
3.2K
1 in 107,852
Census rank
#10,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,771 bearers of the surname Schermerhorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schermerhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schermerhorn
The surname Schermerhorn has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically the province of South Holland. It emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. The name is derived from the Dutch words "schermer" meaning "fencer" and "horn" meaning "corner" or "end." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked near the end of a fencing or palisade, possibly a guard or fence-maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schermerhorn can be found in the Dutch census records from the town of Schiedam in 1463, where a Jan Schermerhorn is listed as a resident. Over the following centuries, the name began to spread across the Netherlands and into other parts of Europe.
In the 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, several members of the Schermerhorn family emigrated to the Dutch colonial settlements in North America, particularly the Dutch West Indies and New Netherland (later New York). One notable early bearer of the name was Jacob Janse Schermerhorn, who was born in 1622 in the town of Waterland, Netherlands, and later settled in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the 1650s.
Another significant figure in the history of the Schermerhorn name was Simon Schermerhorn, born in 1640 in Beverwijck (present-day Albany, New York). He was a prominent trader and landowner in the Hudson Valley region and played a significant role in the development of the Dutch colonial settlements in New York.
In the 18th century, Abraham Schermerhorn (1701-1783) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in New York City. He was a member of the Provincial Council of New York and played an active role in the city's politics and business affairs.
During the American Revolutionary War, several members of the Schermerhorn family served in the Continental Army, including Jacob Schermerhorn (1736-1825), who fought in the Battle of Saratoga and later became a prominent judge in New York State.
In the 19th century, William C. Schermerhorn (1768-1851) was a successful businessman and real estate developer in New York City. He was involved in the construction of several notable buildings, including the Schermerhorn Row on Broadway, which was considered a landmark of its time.
Throughout history, the Schermerhorn name has been associated with various professions, including merchants, traders, landowners, politicians, and judges, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schermerhorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Schermerhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schermerhorn 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 Schermerhorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,503
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 116
- Two or more races3.2% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 30
- Black or African American0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schermerhorn
Schermerhorn 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
#10,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,011
+48 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 602 places
2020
#10,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,771
-240 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,034 | 2,963 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,636 | 3,011 | 1.02 | +48 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 602 places |
| 2020 | #10,972 | 2,771 | 0.93 | -240 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 336 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 Schermerhorn 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 | #10,636 | #10,972 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,011 | 2,771 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.93 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schermerhorn bearers went from 3,011 to 2,771 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 336 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,636 to #10,972.
FAQ
Schermerhorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schermerhorn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,178 living Americans carry the surname Schermerhorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,852 residents.
How common is Schermerhorn?
Schermerhorn ranks #10,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,771 people with the surname Schermerhorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schermerhorn.
Has Schermerhorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schermerhorn went from 3,011 recorded bearers to 2,771. That is a decrease of 240 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,636 to #10,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Schermerhorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schermerhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Schermerhorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schermerhorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Schermerhorn (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 Schermerhorn mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone living near a sluice or floodgate. 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 Schermerhorn (0.93 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 Schermerhorn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.