2000
#45,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Schiffner
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Schiffer" meaning seaman or boatman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 485 Americans carry the last name Schiffner. That puts it at #52,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 706,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schiffner 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
485
1 in 706,710
Census rank
#52,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
423
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 423 bearers of the surname Schiffner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schiffner
The surname SCHIFFNER is of German origin, derived from the occupation of a shipbuilder or boatman. It traces its roots back to the medieval period in Central Europe, particularly in regions along major waterways like the Rhine and Danube rivers.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often arose from occupations, and SCHIFFNER likely emerged as a descriptor for those involved in the construction or operation of ships and boats. The name is closely related to the German word "Schiff," meaning "ship," and the suffix "-ner" indicates a person associated with a particular trade or craft.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SCHIFFNER can be found in a 14th-century document from the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans SCHIFFNER is mentioned as a boatman on the Pegnitz River. This provides evidence of the name's connection to maritime activities in the region.
In the 16th century, the SCHIFFNER name appeared in records from the town of Kötzting in Bavaria, where a family of shipwrights and boatmen bearing this surname was documented. Their presence in this area, situated along the Regen River, further reinforces the name's maritime associations.
One notable figure in history with the SCHIFFNER surname was Johann SCHIFFNER, a German astronomer and mathematician born in 1624 in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and authored several works on astronomical observations.
Another prominent individual was Friedrich SCHIFFNER, a 19th-century German botanist and bryologist born in 1838 in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He conducted extensive research on mosses and liverworts, and his work on the flora of Central Europe was highly regarded.
In the 20th century, the name SCHIFFNER gained recognition through the achievements of Hans SCHIFFNER, a German architect and urban planner born in 1891 in Leipzig. He was instrumental in the reconstruction efforts of several German cities after World War II and played a crucial role in the development of modern urban planning principles.
Other noteworthy individuals with the SCHIFFNER surname include Karl SCHIFFNER, a German philosopher and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Otto SCHIFFNER, a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early aircraft designs in the early 20th century.
While the SCHIFFNER name has its origins in the maritime trades, it has since spread across various professions and regions, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who carried this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schiffner
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schiffner 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 Schiffner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 383
- Two or more races5.2% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schiffner
Schiffner 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
#50,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 411
-32 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,289 places
2020
#52,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
+12 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,482 | 443 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,771 | 411 | 0.14 | -32 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 5,289 places |
| 2020 | #52,889 | 423 | 0.14 | +12 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 2,118 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 Schiffner 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 | #50,771 | #52,889 | -4.2% |
| Count | 411 | 423 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schiffner bearers went from 411 to 423 (+2.9% change). The surname moved down 2,118 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,771 to #52,889.
FAQ
Schiffner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schiffner?
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the surname Schiffner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 706,710 residents.
How common is Schiffner?
Schiffner ranks #52,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 423 people with the surname Schiffner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Schiffner.
Has Schiffner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schiffner went from 411 recorded bearers to 423. That is an increase of 12 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,771 to #52,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Schiffner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Schiffner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schiffner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Schiffner (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 Schiffner mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Schiffer" meaning seaman or boatman. 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 Schiffner (0.14 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 Schiffner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.