2000
#3,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.33
Rare Last name
Schiller
A German occupational surname referring to a person who squints or has a squint.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,607 Americans carry the last name Schiller. That puts it at #4,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schiller 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schiller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,678
Census rank
#4,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,378 bearers of the surname Schiller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schiller
The surname SCHILLER originated in German-speaking areas of Europe, particularly Germany and Austria, in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schillen," meaning "to peel" or "to separate," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to an occupation such as a miller, farmer, or someone involved in processing crops.
The name SCHILLER can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records mentioning individuals with this surname living in various parts of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances is from 1284, when a person named Chunradus Schiller was mentioned in a document from the town of Esslingen in what is now Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the SCHILLER surname became more widespread across German-speaking regions. It appeared in various historical records, including city registers, tax rolls, and guild documents. For example, in 1409, a man named Hanns Schiller was listed as a citizen of Nuremberg, a prominent city in Bavaria.
The SCHILLER name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous is Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), a German poet, philosopher, and playwright renowned for works such as "The Robbers," "Don Carlos," and "Wilhelm Tell." His literary contributions significantly influenced the development of German literature and culture.
Another prominent figure was Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805), a German historian and writer who served as a professor at the University of Jena. He is best known for his multi-volume work "History of the Thirty Years' War," which became a seminal text on the subject.
In the field of science, Ferdinand Cohn (1828-1898), a German botanist and microbiologist, made significant contributions to the study of bacteria and algae. He is considered a pioneer in modern bacteriology and is credited with discovering several bacterial species.
The surname SCHILLER has also been connected to various place names throughout German-speaking regions. For instance, the town of Schillerslage in Lower Saxony, Germany, likely derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the SCHILLER surname.
While the SCHILLER surname is most commonly associated with Germany and Austria, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and beyond, particularly among descendants of German immigrants. Variations in spelling, such as Schiller, Schyller, and Schillinger, have also been documented over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schiller
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schiller 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 Schiller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,694
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 269
- Two or more races3.1% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 104
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schiller
Schiller 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
#3,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,132
+155 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 249 places
2020
#4,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,378
-754 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 228 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,635 | 8,977 | 3.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,884 | 9,132 | 3.10 | +155 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 249 places |
| 2020 | #4,112 | 8,378 | 2.80 | -754 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 228 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 Schiller 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 | #3,884 | #4,112 | -5.9% |
| Count | 9,132 | 8,378 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.10 | 2.80 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schiller bearers went from 9,132 to 8,378 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 228 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,884 to #4,112.
FAQ
Schiller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schiller?
Name Census estimates that about 9,607 living Americans carry the surname Schiller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,678 residents.
How common is Schiller?
Schiller ranks #4,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,378 people with the surname Schiller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Schiller.
Has Schiller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schiller went from 9,132 recorded bearers to 8,378. That is a decrease of 754 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,884 to #4,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Schiller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Schiller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schiller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (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 Schiller (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 Schiller mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who squints or has a squint. 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 Schiller (2.80 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 surname Schiller?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.