2000
#3,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.39
Uncommon Last name
Scholl
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells shoes, boots, or clogs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,162 Americans carry the last name Scholl. That puts it at #3,892 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scholl 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
10K
1 in 33,729
Census rank
#3,892
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,862 bearers of the surname Scholl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3892nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scholl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scholl
The surname SCHOLL originated in Germany and has been traced back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schuole," which means "school" or "place of learning." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone associated with a school or educational institution.
In the Middle Ages, surnames often indicated a person's occupation, place of origin, or distinguishing physical characteristics. The name SCHOLL likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who worked at a school or lived near a school or educational establishment.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name SCHOLL can be found in various historical documents from medieval Germany. For example, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg in the year 1288, where a certain "Henricus Scholle" is mentioned.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the 14th-century manuscript known as the "Heidelberger Liederhandschrift," which contains a collection of medieval German poems and songs. One of the authors listed in this manuscript is identified as "Walther von der Vogelweide der Schol."
In the 16th century, the name SCHOLL was also associated with the town of Schollkrippen in Bavaria, which may have derived its name from the same root as the surname. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region and then spread to other parts of Germany.
One notable individual with the surname SCHOLL was Hans Scholl (1918-1943), a German student and member of the anti-Nazi resistance group known as the White Rose. Along with his sister Sophie Scholl (1921-1943), he was executed by the Nazi regime for their involvement in distributing anti-Nazi leaflets and writings.
Another historical figure bearing the name SCHOLL was Johann Martin Scholl (1828-1916), a German-American immigrant who founded the city of Scholl's Ferry, Iowa, in the United States.
Other notable individuals with the surname SCHOLL include the German writer and poet Maximilian Scholl (1868-1933), the German architect and urban planner Fritz Scholl (1898-1965), and the Austrian actor and director Reinhard Scholl (1909-1983).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scholl
Among Census respondents with the surname Scholl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Scholl 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 Scholl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 8,318
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 218
- Two or more races2.4% · 210
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- Black or African American0.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scholl
Scholl 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
#3,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,351
+211 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#3,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,862
-489 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,567 | 9,140 | 3.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,787 | 9,351 | 3.17 | +211 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #3,892 | 8,862 | 2.96 | -489 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 105 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 Scholl 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 | #3,787 | #3,892 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,351 | 8,862 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.17 | 2.96 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scholl bearers went from 9,351 to 8,862 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,787 to #3,892.
FAQ
Scholl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scholl?
Name Census estimates that about 10,162 living Americans carry the surname Scholl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,729 residents.
How common is Scholl?
Scholl ranks #3,892 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,862 people with the surname Scholl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Scholl.
Has Scholl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scholl went from 9,351 recorded bearers to 8,862. That is a decrease of 489 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,787 to #3,892.
What does the Census say about the background of Scholl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scholl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Scholl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (8,318 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scholl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Scholl (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 Scholl mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells shoes, boots, or clogs. 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 Scholl (2.96 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 Scholl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Scholl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.