2000
#14,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Schlichting
A toponymic surname derived from places named Schlichtingen in Germany, referring to someone from those settlements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,124 Americans carry the last name Schlichting. That puts it at #15,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlichting 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
2.1K
1 in 161,372
Census rank
#15,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,852 bearers of the surname Schlichting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlichting, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlichting
The surname Schlichting is of German origin, derived from the Low German word "slicht," meaning "simple" or "plain." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a person who made or sold simple, unadorned objects or clothing.
In the early Middle Ages, the name appeared in various records and documents across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. Variations in spelling were common, including Schlichtingh, Schlichtynck, and Schlichtink.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schlichting can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. The document mentions a "Henricus Slichtingh" in 1279.
Another significant historical reference is the Lübecker Bürgerbuch, a citizen's register from the city of Lübeck, which lists a "Hinricus Schlichtinck" in 1350.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in northwestern and central Europe. A "Johan Schlichtink" is mentioned as a merchant from Lübeck in 1427.
Some notable individuals with the surname Schlichting include:
1. Gottfried Schlichting (1647-1713), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Helmstedt.
2. Gottfried Schlichting (1764-1837), a German theologian and pastor who was a proponent of rationalism and Enlightenment ideals.
3. Hans Schlichting (1551-1599), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and the calculation of their orbits.
4. Theodor Schlichting (1890-1978), a German engineer and aerodynamicist who made important advancements in boundary layer theory and aircraft design.
5. Maximilian Schlichting (1866-1937), a German artist and painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Westphalia.
The Schlichting surname has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Schlichting (a village in Lower Saxony) and Schlichtingen (a municipality in Baden-Württemberg).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlichting
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlichting, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlichting 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 Schlichting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,732
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- Two or more races2.1% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlichting
Schlichting 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
#15,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,953
+28 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 826 places
2020
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,852
-101 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,278 | 1,925 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,104 | 1,953 | 0.66 | +28 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 826 places |
| 2020 | #15,262 | 1,852 | 0.62 | -101 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 158 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 Schlichting 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 | #15,104 | #15,262 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,953 | 1,852 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlichting bearers went from 1,953 to 1,852 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,104 to #15,262.
FAQ
Schlichting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlichting?
Name Census estimates that about 2,124 living Americans carry the surname Schlichting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,372 residents.
How common is Schlichting?
Schlichting ranks #15,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,852 people with the surname Schlichting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Schlichting.
Has Schlichting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlichting went from 1,953 recorded bearers to 1,852. That is a decrease of 101 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,104 to #15,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlichting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlichting, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Schlichting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,732 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlichting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Schlichting (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 Schlichting mean?
A toponymic surname derived from places named Schlichtingen in Germany, referring to someone from those settlements. 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 Schlichting (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Schlichting?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.