2000
#10,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,775
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Schill
A German occupational surname referring to a person who husked grains or a maker of peeled barley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,141 Americans carry the last name Schill. That puts it at #11,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schill 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
3.1K
1 in 109,123
Census rank
#11,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,739 bearers of the surname Schill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schill, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schill
The surname Schill originated in Germany, with its earliest known origins dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "schillen," which means "to peel" or "to strip away." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation, such as a person who peeled bark or skinned animals.
Schill is considered a relatively rare surname, and it is primarily found in central and northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Brandenburg. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to medieval documents from these areas.
One notable historical reference to the name Schill can be found in the Prussian military records from the Napoleonic era. Ferdinand von Schill (1776-1809) was a Prussian officer who led a famous uprising against the French occupation in 1809. His actions earned him the nickname "The German Patriot," and he is remembered as a symbol of resistance against Napoleon's rule.
Another individual of significance bearing the Schill name was Johann Schill (1595-1667), a German theologian and philosopher who lived during the 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and served as the rector of the University of Leipzig.
In the realm of literature, the name Schill is associated with the German novelist and playwright, August Schill (1838-1912). He is best known for his historical novels and plays that explored the lives of famous figures from German history.
The surname Schill has also been recorded in various spellings throughout history, such as Schil, Schille, and Schiller. It is worth noting that the famous German poet and philosopher Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) is not directly related to the Schill surname, despite the similar spelling.
Another notable individual with the Schill surname was Karl Schill (1873-1949), a German politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in the Weimar Republic during the early 20th century.
While the surname Schill may not be among the most common in Germany, its historical significance and connections to notable figures in various fields have contributed to its enduring presence throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schill
Among Census respondents with the surname Schill, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Schill 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 Schill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,568
- Two or more races2.9% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schill
Schill 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
#10,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,923
+148 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#11,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,739
-184 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,600 | 2,775 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,897 | 2,923 | 0.99 | +148 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #11,070 | 2,739 | 0.92 | -184 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 173 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 Schill 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 | #10,897 | #11,070 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,923 | 2,739 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.92 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schill bearers went from 2,923 to 2,739 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,897 to #11,070.
FAQ
Schill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schill?
Name Census estimates that about 3,141 living Americans carry the surname Schill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,123 residents.
How common is Schill?
Schill ranks #11,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,739 people with the surname Schill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Schill.
Has Schill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schill went from 2,923 recorded bearers to 2,739. That is a decrease of 184 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,897 to #11,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Schill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schill, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Schill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,568 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Schill (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 Schill mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who husked grains or a maker of peeled barley. 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 Schill (0.92 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 last name Schill?
You can see how common the surname Schill is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.