2000
#29,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Schettler
A German surname derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Sebastianus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,058 Americans carry the last name Schettler. That puts it at #27,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 323,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schettler 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
1.1K
1 in 323,964
Census rank
#27,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
923
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 923 bearers of the surname Schettler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schettler
The surname SCHETTLER originated in Germany, with its earliest recordings dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "Schettler," which referred to a person who sold or traded wood shingles or shakes. This suggests that the original bearers of this surname were likely involved in the timber or construction industry.
The earliest known bearer of the SCHETTLER name was Hans Schettler, a woodworker from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, who was mentioned in a local registry in 1287. Another early record of the name can be found in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a collection of legal documents from the 14th century, where a certain Konrad Schettler is listed as a witness in a property dispute.
In the 15th century, the name SCHETTLER began to spread across various regions of Germany, with records showing families bearing this surname in cities such as Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Cologne. One notable individual from this period was Johann Schettler (1436-1501), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Augsburg.
As the SCHETTLER name continued to spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Schetler, Schtler, and Scheteler. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional differences in pronunciation.
One of the most prominent figures in SCHETTLER history was Friedrich Schettler (1689-1761), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Halle. His works on natural theology and moral philosophy were widely read and influential during the Age of Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the SCHETTLER surname became more widespread across Europe and beyond, as many individuals bearing this name immigrated to other countries. One such individual was Carl Schettler (1828-1903), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including the Pabst Mansion and the Calvary Presbyterian Church.
Other notable SCHETTLER individuals include:
1. Johann Nepomuk Schettler (1794-1867), an Austrian painter known for his religious and historical paintings.
2. Emil Schettler (1848-1920), a German-American businessman who founded the Schettler Buick Company in Detroit, one of the earliest automobile dealerships in the United States.
3. Hermann Schettler (1876-1957), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and housing projects in Berlin.
4. Rudolf Schettler (1909-1985), a German artist and sculptor known for his abstract and figurative works in various media.
5. Gerd Schettler (born 1942), a German chess grandmaster and author of several books on chess strategy and tactics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schettler
Among Census respondents with the surname Schettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schettler 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 Schettler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 863
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 29
- Two or more races2.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schettler
Schettler 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
#26,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 904
+134 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 2,143 places
2020
#27,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 923
+19 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 778 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,016 | 770 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,873 | 904 | 0.31 | +134 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 2,143 places |
| 2020 | #27,651 | 923 | 0.31 | +19 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 778 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 Schettler 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 | #26,873 | #27,651 | -2.9% |
| Count | 904 | 923 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.31 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schettler bearers went from 904 to 923 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 778 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,873 to #27,651.
FAQ
Schettler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schettler?
Name Census estimates that about 1,058 living Americans carry the surname Schettler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 323,964 residents.
How common is Schettler?
Schettler ranks #27,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 923 people with the surname Schettler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,058), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Schettler.
Has Schettler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schettler went from 904 recorded bearers to 923. That is an increase of 19 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,873 to #27,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Schettler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schettler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Schettler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (863 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schettler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Schettler (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 Schettler mean?
A German surname derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Sebastianus. 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 Schettler (0.31 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 Schettler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.