2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schless
A habitational surname likely derived from a placename in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Schless. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schless 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Schless in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schless, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schless
The surname SCHLESS is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Schlosser," which means "locksmith." This suggests that the name was initially associated with a family or individual who worked as a locksmith or in a related metalworking trade.
While the exact origins of the name are unclear, historical records indicate that the SCHLESS surname began appearing in various regions of Germany during this time period. Some of the earliest known references to the name can be found in church records and other official documents from towns and villages in southern and central Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHLESS name dates back to 1603, when a man named Hans SCHLESS was listed as a resident of the town of Nürnberg, which was a prominent center of metalworking and craftsmanship during the Renaissance period. This lends credence to the theory that the name was originally tied to a locksmithing or metalworking occupation.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the SCHLESS name began to spread more widely throughout Germany and into neighboring regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this time include Johann SCHLESS (1720-1789), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Augsburg, and Karl SCHLESS (1806-1872), a respected metalsmith and inventor from Berlin.
As people began emigrating from Germany to other parts of the world, the SCHLESS name was carried to various countries and continents. One notable example is Friedrich SCHLESS (1839-1912), a German-born engineer who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and played a key role in the construction of several major bridges and infrastructure projects.
Other notable individuals with the SCHLESS surname include Sophie SCHLESS (1879-1962), a German-American artist and educator who taught at several prestigious art institutions in the United States, and Hans SCHLESS (1900-1985), a German-born architect who designed several notable buildings in South Africa during the mid-20th century.
While the SCHLESS surname is not among the most common in Germany or elsewhere, it has left its mark on history, particularly in the fields of metalworking, craftsmanship, and engineering, reflecting its likely origins as an occupational name associated with skilled trades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schless
Among Census respondents with the surname Schless, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schless 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 Schless surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schless
Schless 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+7 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,704 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-17 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 2,704 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 16,770 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 Schless 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 | #126,018 | #142,788 | -13.3% |
| Count | 136 | 119 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schless bearers went from 136 to 119 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 16,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #142,788.
FAQ
Schless surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schless?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Schless. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Schless?
Schless ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Schless. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schless.
Has Schless become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schless went from 136 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Schless?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schless, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Schless in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schless appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Schless (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 Schless mean?
A habitational surname likely derived from a placename in Germany. 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 Schless (0.04 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 Schless?
Want to know how many people are called Schless? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.