2000
#2,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,945
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.91
Uncommon Last name
Schreiber
An occupational surname referring to a writer, scribe, or clerk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,866 Americans carry the last name Schreiber. That puts it at #2,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schreiber 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schreiber with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,185
Census rank
#2,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,580 bearers of the surname Schreiber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schreiber
The surname SCHREIBER originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Schreiber," which means "scribe" or "writer." This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals who worked as scribes, transcribing documents and records in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHREIBER name can be found in the "Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium," a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in Germany, dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a person named "Scribarius" or "Schreiber," indicating the presence of the name during that era.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the SCHREIBER surname began appearing more frequently in various regions of Germany, particularly in towns and cities where scribes were employed. In the city of Nuremberg, for instance, the name was recorded in the "Nuremberg Schembartbuch," a medieval record of the city's prominent citizens.
One of the earliest known individuals with the SCHREIBER surname was Johann Schreiber, a German printer and publisher who lived from around 1460 to 1520. He established a printing press in Freiburg im Breisgau and is credited with printing several important works during the early years of the printing revolution.
Another notable figure was Adam Schreiber (1560-1625), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. His works on Roman law and legal theory were highly influential during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Schreiber (1705-1760) was a prominent German architect and master builder. He designed numerous buildings in the Baroque and Rococo styles, including churches, palaces, and public structures, primarily in the region of Saxony.
The SCHREIBER surname also found its way into the literary world with Johann Andreas Schreiber (1757-1828), a German writer and poet. He was known for his contributions to the Sturm und Drang movement and his works exploring themes of nature and emotion.
Throughout its history, the SCHREIBER surname has been associated with various occupations related to writing, publishing, and scholarship, reflecting its origins as a name given to scribes and writers in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schreiber
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schreiber 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 Schreiber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 14,466
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 500
- Two or more races2.6% · 406
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 52
- Black or African American0.3% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schreiber
Schreiber 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
#2,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,034
+89 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 5.44
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#2,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,580
-454 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,086 | 15,945 | 5.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,269 | 16,034 | 5.44 | +89 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #2,277 | 15,580 | 5.21 | -454 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 8 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 Schreiber 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 | #2,269 | #2,277 | -0.4% |
| Count | 16,034 | 15,580 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.44 | 5.21 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schreiber bearers went from 16,034 to 15,580 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,269 to #2,277.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schreiber
FAQ
Schreiber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schreiber?
Name Census estimates that about 17,866 living Americans carry the surname Schreiber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,185 residents.
How common is Schreiber?
Schreiber ranks #2,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,580 people with the surname Schreiber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Schreiber.
Has Schreiber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schreiber went from 16,034 recorded bearers to 15,580. That is a decrease of 454 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,269 to #2,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Schreiber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schreiber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (14,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schreiber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schreiber (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 Schreiber mean?
An occupational surname referring to a writer, scribe, or clerk. 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 Schreiber (5.21 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 Schreiber?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Schreiber on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.