2000
#4,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.68
Rare Last name
Schlegel
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a border, gate, or barrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,728 Americans carry the last name Schlegel. That puts it at #5,047 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,352 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlegel 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
7.7K
1 in 44,352
Census rank
#5,047
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,739 bearers of the surname Schlegel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5047th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlegel
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlegel 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 Schlegel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 6,172
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 221
- Two or more races3.2% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 67
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlegel
Schlegel 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
#4,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,461
+233 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#5,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,739
-722 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 300 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,519 | 7,228 | 2.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,747 | 7,461 | 2.53 | +233 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #5,047 | 6,739 | 2.25 | -722 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 300 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 Schlegel 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 | #4,747 | #5,047 | -6.3% |
| Count | 7,461 | 6,739 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.53 | 2.25 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlegel bearers went from 7,461 to 6,739 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 300 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,747 to #5,047.
FAQ
Schlegel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlegel?
Name Census estimates that about 7,728 living Americans carry the surname Schlegel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,352 residents.
How common is Schlegel?
Schlegel ranks #5,047 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,739 people with the surname Schlegel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Schlegel.
Has Schlegel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlegel went from 7,461 recorded bearers to 6,739. That is a decrease of 722 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,747 to #5,047.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlegel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlegel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Schlegel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (6,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlegel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Schlegel (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 Schlegel mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a border, gate, or barrier. 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 Schlegel (2.25 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 common is the surname Schlegel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Schlegel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.