2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schildhauer
A German surname referring to someone who carved wooden plaques or signs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Schildhauer. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schildhauer 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Schildhauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schildhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schildhauer
The surname Schildhauer originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German words "Schild" meaning shield and "Hauer" meaning hewer or wood cutter. Initially, the name was likely an occupational surname given to individuals who crafted or decorated shields for a living.
In the late 15th century, the name appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls across regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances was in 1487, when a certain Hans Schildhauer was listed as a resident of Nuremberg.
The Schildhauer surname has also been linked to the town of Schildau, located in the Nordsachsen district of Saxony. It is believed that some bearers of this name may have originated from or had ties to this particular locality, leading to variants such as Schildauer or Schildauer.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Schildhauer (1617-1667), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Dresden during the Baroque period. His compositions included sacred works and instrumental pieces for the organ.
Another individual of historical significance was Christoph Schildhauer (1622-1668), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, primarily etchings and engravings, depicted religious and mythological scenes.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Schildhauer (1753-1812) was a respected German mathematician and astronomer. He held the position of professor at the University of Helmstedt and contributed to the advancement of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The name Schildhauer also appeared in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) and Switzerland, suggesting possible migration or connections with these regions.
Throughout the centuries, the Schildhauer surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Schildhower, Schilthauer, and Schilthower, reflecting local dialects and transcription practices of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schildhauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Schildhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schildhauer 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 Schildhauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 106
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schildhauer
Schildhauer 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,714 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-10 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,048 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,714 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 10,048 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 Schildhauer 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 | #140,157 | #150,205 | -7.2% |
| Count | 119 | 109 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schildhauer bearers went from 119 to 109 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 10,048 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #150,205.
FAQ
Schildhauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schildhauer?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Schildhauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Schildhauer?
Schildhauer ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Schildhauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Schildhauer.
Has Schildhauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schildhauer went from 119 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Schildhauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schildhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are 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 Schildhauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schildhauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), 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 Schildhauer (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 Schildhauer mean?
A German surname referring to someone who carved wooden plaques or signs. 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 Schildhauer (0.04 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 Schildhauer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.