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

Schlegel, 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 Schlegel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schlegel in America

Schlegel is the 4747th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schlegel surname appeared 7,461 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 Schlegel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schlegel 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.

The history of the last name Schlegel

The surname SCHLEGEL is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "slagel" or "slegele," which means "small stick" or "wooden bat." The name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century, referring to someone who made or used such wooden implements, possibly a carpenter or wood worker.

The earliest known recorded instances of the SCHLEGEL surname date back to the 15th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Hans Schlegel, born around 1420 in the town of Nuremberg, who was a blacksmith by trade.

In the 16th century, the SCHLEGEL name appeared in several historical records, such as the Kirchenbücher (church books) of various German towns and cities. One notable figure from this period was Johann Schlegel, born in 1548 in Meissen, Saxony, who was a prominent Lutheran theologian and author.

During the 17th century, the SCHLEGEL surname spread further across German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. A notable bearer of the name was Johann Elias Schlegel, born in 1665 in Meissen, who was a renowned poet and dramatist of the Baroque era.

In the 18th century, the SCHLEGEL family produced several influential scholars and writers, such as Johann Adolf Schlegel (1721-1793), a German poet and critic, and his sons August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767-1845) and Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829), who were leading figures of the Romantic movement in literature and philosophy.

The 19th century saw the SCHLEGEL name continue to gain recognition, particularly in the field of academia. One notable figure was Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768-1834), a German philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to Protestant theology and hermeneutics.

As the SCHLEGEL surname spread beyond German-speaking regions, it also appeared in various forms and spellings, such as Schlegl, Schlegel, and Schleggel, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schlegel

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

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 Schlegel was:

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

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

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

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