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

Schneider, 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 Schneider surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schneider in America

Schneider is the 312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schneider surname appeared 101,290 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 34 people would have the surname Schneider.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schneider 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 Schneider

The surname Schneider originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "schneiden," meaning "to cut." It is an occupational surname that was initially given to tailors, clothiers, or cloth-cutters in medieval times.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Schneider can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name was initially spelled as "Snider" or "Snyder" before evolving into its current form.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Schneider can be found in the Heidelberg Tax Records of 1396, where a certain "Hans Schneider" is mentioned as a resident of the city. Another notable early record is from the Worms Citizen Register of 1497, which lists a "Kunz Schneider."

During the Middle Ages, the name Schneider became associated with various guilds and trade associations related to the clothing industry. Some well-known historical figures with this surname include Johann Georg Schneider (1728-1805), a prominent German poet and playwright, and Georg Abraham Schneider (1770-1839), a German astronomer and mathematician.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Schneider name appeared in various parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and Austria, where families with this surname were involved in textile and clothing trades. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Schneider (1615-1704), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer.

As the name spread across Europe, it also gained prominence in other fields. For instance, Eugen Schneider (1819-1875) was a German industrialist who founded the steel manufacturing company Schneider Creusot in France, which played a significant role in the country's industrialization.

Another well-known figure with the surname Schneider was Gerd Schneider (1959-2009), a German footballer who played for several Bundesliga clubs and represented West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

While the surname Schneider is most prevalent in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have occurred over centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schneider

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!