Schindler last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Schindler

A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of roof shingles.

Schindler, 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 Schindler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schindler in America

Schindler is the 3624th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schindler surname appeared 9,801 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Schindler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schindler 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 3624 3407 6.17%
Count 9,801 9,624 1.82%
Proportion per 100k 3.32 3.57 -7.26%

The history of the last name Schindler

The surname Schindler is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "schindeln," which means "to shingle" or "to cover with wooden shingles." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a roofer or someone who worked with wooden shingles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Schindler can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the 14th century. The name was also present in other German-speaking regions during this time period, such as Austria and Switzerland.

In the 15th century, the name Schindler appeared in various historical documents, including tax records and guild registries. For instance, a certain Hans Schindler was mentioned as a member of the roofers' guild in the city of Augsburg in 1472.

The surname Schindler has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who saved the lives of over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust. He was born in 1908 and died in 1974.

Another prominent figure with the surname Schindler was Rudolf Schindler, an Austrian-American architect known for his pioneering work in modern architecture. He was born in 1887 and passed away in 1953.

In the realm of literature, the German writer and playwright Carl Schindler (1863-1938) made significant contributions to the Naturalist movement in German literature.

The name Schindler has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany and Austria. For instance, the village of Schindlersfeld in Bavaria, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from an early settler with the surname Schindler.

Another notable bearer of the Schindler name was Johann Schindler, a German composer and music theorist who lived in the 18th century (1753-1827). He was known for his work on the theory of harmony and his compositions for the piano.

It is worth noting that while the surname Schindler has its origins in Germany and the German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the historical roots and significance of this surname remain deeply rooted in the Germanic cultural and linguistic traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schindler

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

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 Schindler was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.33% 9,343
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.20% 20
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.65% 64
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.93% 91
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.05% 103
Hispanic Origin 1.84% 180

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 Schindler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.33% 96.42% -1.14%
Black 0.20% 0.25% -22.22%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.65% 0.42% 42.99%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.93% 0.84% 10.17%
Two or More Races 1.05% 1.05% 0.00%
Hispanic 1.84% 1.03% 56.45%

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 Schindler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Schindler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schindler-surname-popularity/.

"Schindler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schindler-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

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

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