2000
#4,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Schreiner
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter, joiner, or cabinetmaker, derived from the German word "Schreiner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,134 Americans carry the last name Schreiner. That puts it at #4,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schreiner 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
9.1K
1 in 37,525
Census rank
#4,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,965 bearers of the surname Schreiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schreiner
The surname Schreiner has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Schreiner," which means "carpenter" or "joiner." This occupational surname was likely given to individuals who worked as carpenters or woodworkers.
The name can be traced back to various regions in Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. In some areas, the name was also spelled as "Schreiner," "Schreiner," or "Schreiner," reflecting regional variations in language and dialect.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention individuals with the surname Schreiner. One notable example is Johann Schreiner, a German carpenter and architect who lived in the late 16th century and is known for his work on churches and other buildings in the city of Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the surname Schreiner began to spread beyond Germany as individuals emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. For instance, Johann Adam Schreiner, born in 1723 in Württemberg, was one of the early bearers of the name who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century.
Another notable individual with the surname Schreiner was Carl Schreiner, a German-American painter and illustrator born in 1837 in Darmstadt, Germany. He is known for his illustrations in various publications, including Harper's Magazine and Scribner's Monthly.
In the 19th century, the name Schreiner also gained prominence in South Africa, where Olive Schreiner, a renowned writer and activist, was born in 1855. Her novel "The Story of an African Farm" is considered a classic of South African literature.
Other notable individuals with the surname Schreiner include Johann Schreiner, a German composer and organist born in 1808, and Franz Schreiner, an Austrian painter and engraver born in 1859.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schreiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schreiner 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 Schreiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 7,393
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 253
- Two or more races2.8% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
- Black or African American0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schreiner
Schreiner 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
#4,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,152
+102 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 298 places
2020
#4,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,965
-187 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Up 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,061 | 8,050 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,359 | 8,152 | 2.76 | +102 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 298 places |
| 2020 | #4,313 | 7,965 | 2.66 | -187 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 46 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 Schreiner 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 | #4,359 | #4,313 | 1.1% |
| Count | 8,152 | 7,965 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.66 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schreiner bearers went from 8,152 to 7,965 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,359 to #4,313.
FAQ
Schreiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schreiner?
Name Census estimates that about 9,134 living Americans carry the surname Schreiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,525 residents.
How common is Schreiner?
Schreiner ranks #4,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 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 7,965 people with the surname Schreiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 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 Schreiner.
Has Schreiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schreiner went from 8,152 recorded bearers to 7,965. That is a decrease of 187 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,359 to #4,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Schreiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Schreiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (7,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schreiner 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 (2.8%). 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 Schreiner (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 Schreiner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter, joiner, or cabinetmaker, derived from the German word "Schreiner." 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 Schreiner (2.66 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 Schreiner?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Schreiner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.