Find out how popular the last name Schlee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schlee.
A German surname likely derived from the Czech word "slez" meaning "to descend".
Schlee, 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 Schlee surname is from the 2010 census data.
Schlee is the 33894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Schlee surname appeared 671 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schlee.
We can also compare 2010 data for Schlee 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 | 33894 | 30929 | 9.15% |
Count | 671 | 710 | -5.65% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.23 | 0.26 | -12.24% |
The surname SCHLEE has its origins in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "schlei," which means "muddy stream" or "marsh." This suggests that the name may have originated among families living near such bodies of water or wetlands.
One of the earliest known references to the name SCHLEE can be found in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a certain Hans Schlee was documented as a merchant in 1587. In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax rolls across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The town of Schlee, located in the district of Dithmarschen in Schleswig-Holstein, may have played a role in the development of the surname. It is possible that families from this area adopted the name SCHLEE as a way to identify their place of origin or residence.
In the 18th century, a notable individual bearing the name SCHLEE was Johann Friedrich Schlee (1714-1792), a German lawyer and legal scholar who wrote extensively on civil law and commercial law. His works were influential in shaping legal practices in the Holy Roman Empire.
Another individual of note was Carl Friedrich Schlee (1789-1838), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Neue Wache and the Altes Palais. His contributions to the city's architectural landscape left a lasting legacy.
In the 19th century, Gustav Schlee (1819-1890) was a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and genre scenes. His works were exhibited at various art exhibitions in Germany and received critical acclaim during his lifetime.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the name SCHLEE gained international recognition with the birth of Friedrich Schlee (1879-1947), a German-American painter and printmaker. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and became known for his etchings and woodcuts depicting scenes of rural life in New England.
Another notable figure was Ernst Schlee (1882-1957), a German military officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He played a significant role in the development of military strategy and tactics, and his writings on military theory were influential in his time.
While the surname SCHLEE may have originated in a specific geographical region, it has since spread across Germany and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have made their mark in various fields throughout history.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schlee.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schlee was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.83% | 643 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.75% | 5 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.49% | 10 |
Hispanic Origin | 1.34% | 9 |
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 Schlee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.83% | 95.92% | -0.09% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.75% | 0.99% | -27.59% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 1.49% | 1.13% | 27.48% |
Hispanic | 1.34% | 1.55% | -14.53% |
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 Schlee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/schlee-surname-popularity/">Schlee last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Schlee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 21, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schlee-surname-popularity/.
"Schlee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schlee-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 July, 2025
Schlee last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/schlee-surname-popularity/.
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