2000
#10,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Schimmel
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "schimel," meaning a dapple-gray horse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,986 Americans carry the last name Schimmel. That puts it at #11,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schimmel 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
3.0K
1 in 114,787
Census rank
#11,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,604 bearers of the surname Schimmel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schimmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schimmel
The surname Schimmel is of German origin, and it dates back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "schimmel," which means "a white or light gray horse." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who worked with horses, such as a stable hand or a horse breeder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schimmel can be found in the town of Schmallenberg, located in the Sauerland region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In the 14th century, there is a mention of a "Henricus dictus Schimmel" (Henry called Schimmel) in the town's records.
The name Schimmel also appears in various historical documents and manuscripts from different parts of Germany. For example, in the 15th century, a "Hans Schimmel" is listed as a citizen of the city of Nuremberg.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Schimmel was Johannes Schimmel, a German Protestant theologian and reformer, who lived from 1523 to 1590. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Saxony.
Another prominent individual with the surname Schimmel was Johann Christian Schimmel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1768 to 1830. He is known for his compositions for the organ and other keyboard instruments.
In the 19th century, a famous artist named Wilhelm Schimmel (1807-1870) was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Germany.
The name Schimmel has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Schimmelhof (a farmstead or village) and Schimmelbach (a stream), which may have contributed to the spread and popularity of the surname in certain regions.
While the name Schimmel is predominantly of German origin, it has also been adopted by families in other countries, possibly through migration or intermarriage. However, the majority of people with this surname can trace their roots back to various regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schimmel
Among Census respondents with the surname Schimmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schimmel 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 Schimmel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,402
- Two or more races3.6% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schimmel
Schimmel 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
#10,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,064
+253 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,604
-460 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,063 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,478 | 2,811 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,484 | 3,064 | 1.04 | +253 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #11,547 | 2,604 | 0.87 | -460 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 1,063 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 Schimmel 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 | #10,484 | #11,547 | -10.1% |
| Count | 3,064 | 2,604 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.87 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schimmel bearers went from 3,064 to 2,604 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 1,063 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,484 to #11,547.
FAQ
Schimmel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schimmel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,986 living Americans carry the surname Schimmel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,787 residents.
How common is Schimmel?
Schimmel ranks #11,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,604 people with the surname Schimmel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Schimmel.
Has Schimmel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schimmel went from 3,064 recorded bearers to 2,604. That is a decrease of 460 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,484 to #11,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Schimmel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schimmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (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 Schimmel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,402 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schimmel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (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 Schimmel (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 Schimmel mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the Middle High German word "schimel," meaning a dapple-gray horse. 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 Schimmel (0.87 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 Schimmel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.