2000
#8,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,818
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Schlesinger
A German and Jewish surname derived from the city of Schlesien or Silesia, meaning "a person from Silesia."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,259 Americans carry the last name Schlesinger. That puts it at #8,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlesinger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schlesinger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,478
Census rank
#8,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,714 bearers of the surname Schlesinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlesinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlesinger
The surname Schlesinger originated in the German states, particularly in areas like Silesia, Bavaria, and Saxony. It is derived from the Old German word "Slesje," meaning a person from Silesia, and the suffix "-inger," indicating a place of origin or residence.
The earliest known record of the Schlesinger name dates back to the 13th century. In 1274, a document from the city of Nuremberg mentioned a certain "Henricus Slesinger." Later records from the 14th and 15th centuries include references to individuals with variations of the name, such as "Slesinger," "Schlessinger," and "Schlesinger."
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Johann Schlesinger (1768-1840), a German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another prominent Schlesinger was Max Schlesinger (1865-1923), a German theoretical physicist and mathematician. He is best known for his work on the foundations of electromagnetism and his contributions to the development of the theory of relativity.
In the realm of music, Walter Schlesinger (1908-1984) was a renowned Austrian-American pianist and music educator. He taught at the University of Southern California and served as the director of the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts.
The Schlesinger name can also be found in the literary world. Arthur Meier Schlesinger (1888-1965) was an American historian and writer, known for his works on the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal era.
Lastly, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007), the son of Arthur Meier Schlesinger, was a prominent American historian and social critic. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of President Andrew Jackson and served as a special assistant to President John F. Kennedy.
While the Schlesinger surname has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. The name has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, including science, academia, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlesinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlesinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlesinger 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 Schlesinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,395
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 146
- Two or more races2.2% · 81
- Black or African American1.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlesinger
Schlesinger 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
#8,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,940
+122 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 387 places
2020
#8,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,714
-226 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,011 | 3,818 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,398 | 3,940 | 1.34 | +122 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 387 places |
| 2020 | #8,512 | 3,714 | 1.24 | -226 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 114 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 Schlesinger 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 | #8,398 | #8,512 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,940 | 3,714 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.24 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlesinger bearers went from 3,940 to 3,714 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,398 to #8,512.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schlesinger
FAQ
Schlesinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlesinger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,259 living Americans carry the surname Schlesinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,478 residents.
How common is Schlesinger?
Schlesinger ranks #8,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,714 people with the surname Schlesinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schlesinger.
Has Schlesinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlesinger went from 3,940 recorded bearers to 3,714. That is a decrease of 226 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,398 to #8,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlesinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlesinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schlesinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlesinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schlesinger (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 Schlesinger mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from the city of Schlesien or Silesia, meaning "a person from Silesia." 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 Schlesinger (1.24 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 people have the last name Schlesinger?
You can see how many people are called Schlesinger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.