Schilling last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Schilling is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schilling.

Meaning of Schilling

A nickname-derived surname referring to someone with a lively or boisterous temperament, or an occupational name for a wine taster.

Schilling, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schilling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schilling in America

Schilling is the 2200th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schilling surname appeared 16,546 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Schilling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schilling to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2200 2083 5.46%
Count 16,546 15,968 3.56%
Proportion per 100k 5.61 5.92 -5.38%

The history of the last name Schilling

The surname Schilling originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where it was derived from the Old High German word "schilling," which referred to a unit of currency used during that time period.

In its earliest form, the name Schilling was often spelled as "Schillinc" or "Schillink," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the Germanic languages. It first appeared in historical records as an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in minting or handling coins, particularly the shilling currency.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Schilling name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Ravennatensis, a 10th-century manuscript from the city of Ravenna in Italy, which lists a certain "Peredeo Schillinc" among its entries.

In the 12th century, the name Schilling was documented in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony. This record mentions a "Henricus Schilling" who lived in the region during that time.

Notable individuals with the surname Schilling throughout history include:

  1. Friedrich von Schilling (1535-1608), a German military officer and diplomat who served under Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II.
  2. Johannes Schilling (1535-1592), a German jurist and legal scholar who wrote extensively on Roman law and legal theory.
  3. Johann Schilling (1828-1910), a German-American architect and civil engineer known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge and other iconic structures in New York City.
  4. Curt Schilling (born 1966), a former American professional baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  5. Rebecca Schilling (born 1973), an American author and entrepreneur known for her work in the field of personal development and self-help literature.

While the Schilling surname is most commonly associated with German-speaking regions, it has also been found in various other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where it may have derived from the Dutch word "schelling," which also referred to a type of currency.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schilling

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schilling.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schilling was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.77% 15,681
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.32% 53
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.68% 113
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% 69
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.51% 250
Hispanic Origin 2.30% 381

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schilling has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.77% 96.52% -1.83%
Black 0.32% 0.26% 20.69%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.68% 0.52% 26.67%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% 0.29% 36.62%
Two or More Races 1.51% 0.92% 48.56%
Hispanic 2.30% 1.48% 43.39%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schilling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schilling, please contact us.

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"Schilling last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schilling-surname-popularity/.

"Schilling last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schilling-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 December, 2024

Schilling last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/schilling-surname-popularity/.

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