2000
#13,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Schiffman
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Schiff," meaning "ship," likely referring to a shipbuilder or sailor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,062 Americans carry the last name Schiffman. That puts it at #15,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schiffman 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
2.1K
1 in 166,224
Census rank
#15,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,798 bearers of the surname Schiffman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schiffman
The surname Schiffman is of German origin, derived from the German word "Schiff" meaning "ship" and the suffix "-man" denoting an occupation or profession. This suggests that the name was originally associated with individuals involved in maritime activities or employed in professions related to ships and seafaring.
The earliest known records of the Schiffman surname trace back to the late 15th century in the northern German regions, particularly in the coastal areas and port cities. It is believed that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for individuals working as shipbuilders, sailors, or merchants engaged in maritime trade.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Schiffman name can be found in the Hanseatic League records from the city of Lübeck, dating back to the late 1400s. These records mention a merchant named Hans Schiffman, who was involved in the lucrative Baltic Sea trade.
In the 16th century, the Schiffman surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, particularly in the coastal areas and along major waterways. Notable individuals bearing this name during this period include Johann Schiffman, a shipwright from Hamburg born in 1521, and Peter Schiffman, a prominent merchant and ship owner from Rostock, who lived from 1550 to 1628.
As the name Schiffman gained prominence, it also appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, the Schiffman family is mentioned in the parish records of the town of Stralsund, dating back to the late 1600s.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Schiffman name in the English-speaking world can be traced back to the late 18th century, when Johann Schiffman, a German immigrant, settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1792. He later became a respected shipbuilder and established a successful shipyard along the Delaware River.
Other notable individuals bearing the Schiffman surname include Friedrich Schiffman, a German naval architect born in 1835, who made significant contributions to the design of modern warships. Additionally, there is Georg Schiffman, a German-American painter and artist born in 1865, whose works were widely exhibited in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Schiffman surname continued to be associated with various maritime professions, as well as other occupations and fields. However, the name's direct connection to seafaring and shipbuilding gradually diminished as generations passed and individuals pursued diverse career paths.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schiffman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schiffman 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 Schiffman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 1,704
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 41
- Two or more races1.9% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schiffman
Schiffman 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
#14,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,021
+34 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 781 places
2020
#15,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,798
-223 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 934 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,925 | 1,987 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,706 | 2,021 | 0.69 | +34 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 781 places |
| 2020 | #15,640 | 1,798 | 0.60 | -223 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 934 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 Schiffman 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 | #14,706 | #15,640 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,021 | 1,798 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schiffman bearers went from 2,021 to 1,798 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 934 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,706 to #15,640.
FAQ
Schiffman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schiffman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,062 living Americans carry the surname Schiffman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,224 residents.
How common is Schiffman?
Schiffman ranks #15,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,798 people with the surname Schiffman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Schiffman.
Has Schiffman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schiffman went from 2,021 recorded bearers to 1,798. That is a decrease of 223 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,706 to #15,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Schiffman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Schiffman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schiffman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Schiffman (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 Schiffman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Schiff," meaning "ship," likely referring to a shipbuilder or sailor. 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 Schiffman (0.60 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 common is the surname Schiffman?
Want to know how common the surname Schiffman is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.