2000
#18,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Schlatter
An occupational surname derived from the German word "schlacht" meaning slaughter or butcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,654 Americans carry the last name Schlatter. That puts it at #18,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 207,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlatter 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
1.7K
1 in 207,228
Census rank
#18,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,442 bearers of the surname Schlatter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlatter
The surname Schlatter originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "schlatt," meaning a small valley or a clearing in the woods. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in such a location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval document from the 9th century that mentions a "Schlatter" among the names of landowners in the region of Westphalia, in present-day Germany.
In the 13th century, a variation of the name, "Schletterer," appeared in the Biberacher Gerichtsbuch, a legal document from the town of Biberach an der Riss in southern Germany. This record suggests that the name had already begun to spread to other parts of the German-speaking world.
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the Schlatter name. One example is Hans Schlatter, a German painter and woodcarver who lived in the 15th century and worked on the altarpiece in the Church of St. Martin in Rottenburg am Neckar.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in Switzerland, where a family of Schlatter silversmiths and goldsmiths made their mark in the city of Zurich. One of the most renowned members of this family was Hans Rudolf Schlatter, born in 1608, whose intricate metalwork can still be found in churches and museums across Switzerland.
As people migrated from Europe to other parts of the world, the Schlatter name traveled with them. In the 18th century, a man named Johann Schlatter, born in 1715 in Thalheim, Germany, became a prominent figure in the early history of Pennsylvania, where he founded several German Baptist congregations.
Another notable individual was Michael Schlatter, born in 1716 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, who played a crucial role in the establishment of the German Reformed Church in America. He is remembered for his efforts in promoting education and raising funds for the construction of churches and schools in Pennsylvania and neighboring colonies.
The Schlatter name has also been associated with places, such as the village of Schlatt in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, and Schlatt unter Krähen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, both likely derived from the same root word as the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlatter
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlatter 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 Schlatter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,349
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 41
- Two or more races2.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlatter
Schlatter 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
#19,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,405
+49 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 570 places
2020
#18,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,442
+37 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,712 | 1,356 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,282 | 1,405 | 0.48 | +49 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 570 places |
| 2020 | #18,866 | 1,442 | 0.48 | +37 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 416 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 Schlatter 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 | #19,282 | #18,866 | 2.2% |
| Count | 1,405 | 1,442 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.48 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlatter bearers went from 1,405 to 1,442 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 416 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,282 to #18,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schlatter
FAQ
Schlatter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlatter?
Name Census estimates that about 1,654 living Americans carry the surname Schlatter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 207,228 residents.
How common is Schlatter?
Schlatter ranks #18,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,442 people with the surname Schlatter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,654), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schlatter.
Has Schlatter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlatter went from 1,405 recorded bearers to 1,442. That is an increase of 37 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,282 to #18,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlatter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schlatter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlatter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schlatter (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 Schlatter mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "schlacht" meaning slaughter or butcher. 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 Schlatter (0.48 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 Schlatter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.