2000
#7,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Schlueter
A German occupational surname referring to a locksmith or maker of locks and keys.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,067 Americans carry the last name Schlueter. That puts it at #7,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlueter 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
5.1K
1 in 67,644
Census rank
#7,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,419 bearers of the surname Schlueter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlueter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlueter
The surname Schlueter has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "sluter," meaning "locksmith" or "key maker." This occupational surname was likely adopted by individuals who worked in this trade during the medieval period.
One of the earliest mentions of the Schlueter name can be found in the town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany. In 1532, a record shows a certain Hans Schlueter working as a locksmith in the city's guild system. This provides evidence of the surname's direct link to the occupation it stemmed from.
In the 17th century, the Schlueter name appeared in various documents across different regions of Germany. For instance, a Johann Schlueter was born in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1629. He later became a renowned architect and is credited with designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the iconic Charlottenburg Palace.
Another prominent figure bearing the Schlueter surname was Johann Friedrich Schlueter, born in 1689 in Saxony. He was a distinguished jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of German law during his time.
In the 18th century, the Schlueter name spread beyond Germany's borders. Records show a Johann Christoph Schlueter, born in 1720 in Hanover, who immigrated to the British colonies in North America and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As the centuries progressed, the Schlueter name continued to be carried by individuals across various professions and walks of life. One notable example is the German-American author and journalist Gustav Schlueter, born in 1845 in Saxony. He later emigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the German-American community, contributing to several publications in both German and English.
While the Schlueter surname has its roots in the German language, variations in spelling can be found in different regions and historical records. Some alternative spellings include Schlüter, Schluter, and Schluiter, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlueter
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlueter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlueter 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 Schlueter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 4,121
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 155
- Two or more races1.9% · 84
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlueter
Schlueter 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
#7,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,608
+262 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#7,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
-189 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,093 | 4,346 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,238 | 4,608 | 1.56 | +262 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #7,268 | 4,419 | 1.48 | -189 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 30 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 Schlueter 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 | #7,238 | #7,268 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,608 | 4,419 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.48 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlueter bearers went from 4,608 to 4,419 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,238 to #7,268.
FAQ
Schlueter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlueter?
Name Census estimates that about 5,067 living Americans carry the surname Schlueter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,644 residents.
How common is Schlueter?
Schlueter ranks #7,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,419 people with the surname Schlueter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Schlueter.
Has Schlueter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlueter went from 4,608 recorded bearers to 4,419. That is a decrease of 189 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,238 to #7,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlueter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlueter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Schlueter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (4,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlueter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Schlueter (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 Schlueter mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a locksmith or maker of locks and keys. 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 Schlueter (1.48 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 Schlueter?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Schlueter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.