2000
#3,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.57
Uncommon Last name
Schindler
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of roof shingles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,622 Americans carry the last name Schindler. That puts it at #3,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,268 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schindler 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 Schindler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,268
Census rank
#3,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,263 bearers of the surname Schindler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schindler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 15th century, the name Schindler appeared in various historical documents, including tax records and guild registries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schindler
Among Census respondents with the surname Schindler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schindler 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 Schindler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 8,566
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 270
- Two or more races2.7% · 250
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 66
- Black or African American0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schindler
Schindler 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
#3,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,801
+177 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#3,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,263
-538 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,407 | 9,624 | 3.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,624 | 9,801 | 3.32 | +177 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #3,728 | 9,263 | 3.10 | -538 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 104 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 Schindler 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 | #3,624 | #3,728 | -2.9% |
| Count | 9,801 | 9,263 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 3.10 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schindler bearers went from 9,801 to 9,263 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,624 to #3,728.
FAQ
Schindler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schindler?
Name Census estimates that about 10,622 living Americans carry the surname Schindler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,268 residents.
How common is Schindler?
Schindler ranks #3,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 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 9,263 people with the surname Schindler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 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 Schindler.
Has Schindler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schindler went from 9,801 recorded bearers to 9,263. That is a decrease of 538 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,624 to #3,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Schindler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schindler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schindler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (8,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schindler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schindler (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 Schindler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of roof shingles. 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 Schindler (3.10 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 Americans have the surname Schindler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.