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

Schleich, 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 Schleich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schleich in America

Schleich is the 30101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schleich surname appeared 779 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 Schleich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schleich 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 Schleich

The surname Schleich is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th or 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.

The name Schleich is derived from the Middle High German verb "sleichen," which means "to sneak" or "to creep." This suggests that the name may have originally described someone with a stealthy or cautious demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Schleich can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a certain "Henricus Sleich" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1282.

Another notable historical reference to the name Schleich appears in the Königsberger Häuserbuch, a registry of property owners in the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) from the 16th century. In this document, a "Nickel Schleich" is listed as the owner of a house on the Langgasse street in the year 1584.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Schleich was Johannes Schleich, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1530 to 1597. He was born in Saalfeld, Thuringia, and served as a pastor in various towns in the region.

Another notable figure was Johann Schleich, a German composer and organist who lived from 1668 to 1723. He was born in Mühlhausen, Thuringia, and served as the organist at the Divi Blasii Church in Mühlhausen, where he composed numerous works for organ and choir.

In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the surname Schleich was Wilhelm Schleich, a German surgeon and pioneer in local anesthesia. He was born in 1859 in Mülheim an der Ruhr and developed the concept of "infiltration anesthesia," which involved injecting a dilute solution of cocaine around the area to be operated on.

Another notable Schleich from the 19th century was Johann Schleich, a German jurist and politician who lived from 1833 to 1910. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the Imperial Parliament) and was a prominent advocate for the rights of workers and the promotion of social welfare policies.

In more recent history, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname Schleich was Michael Schleich, a German businessman and the founder of the Schleich toy company, which is renowned for its high-quality figurines and playsets. He was born in 1944 and established the company in 1935, which has since become a global brand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schleich

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

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

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

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