2000
#47,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 425
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Schreiter
A German occupational surname meaning wayfarer or traveler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 462 Americans carry the last name Schreiter. That puts it at #55,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 741,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schreiter 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
462
1 in 741,893
Census rank
#55,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
403
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 403 bearers of the surname Schreiter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schreiter
The surname Schreiter originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria. It emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "schreiten," which means "to stride" or "to walk."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schreiter can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1389. It is believed that the name may have initially referred to a person's occupation or manner of walking, possibly a messenger or courier who walked long distances.
In the 15th century, the name Schreiter appeared in various historical documents, such as tax records and guild registers, in cities like Leipzig and Dresden. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled with variations like "Schreyter" or "Schreiter."
Notably, the Schreiter family had a presence in the town of Freiberg, Saxony, where they were involved in mining and metalworking trades. Hans Schreiter (1464-1527) was a prominent figure in Freiberg, serving as a master miner and a member of the town council.
In the 16th century, Johannes Schreiter (1508-1572) was a notable Lutheran theologian and reformer from Wittenberg, Germany. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another individual of note was Johann Schreiter (1625-1687), a German composer and musician who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.
During the 18th century, the Schreiter family had members who were involved in various professions, including the military, education, and civil service. One notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Schreiter (1732-1809), a Prussian officer who served in the Seven Years' War and later became a teacher and writer.
In the 19th century, the name Schreiter was found in various regions of Germany, as well as in areas with German-speaking populations, such as parts of modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. Carl Friedrich Schreiter (1801-1876) was a German architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Dresden and Leipzig.
As the Schreiter family dispersed over time, the name became associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse paths taken by its bearers throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schreiter
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schreiter 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 Schreiter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 365
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 27
- Two or more races2.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schreiter
Schreiter 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
#50,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 409
-16 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,934 places
2020
#55,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 403
-6 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 4,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,026 | 425 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,960 | 409 | 0.14 | -16 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 3,934 places |
| 2020 | #55,082 | 403 | 0.13 | -6 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 4,122 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 Schreiter 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 | #50,960 | #55,082 | -8.1% |
| Count | 409 | 403 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schreiter bearers went from 409 to 403 (-1.5% change). The surname moved down 4,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,960 to #55,082.
FAQ
Schreiter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schreiter?
Name Census estimates that about 462 living Americans carry the surname Schreiter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 741,893 residents.
How common is Schreiter?
Schreiter ranks #55,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 403 people with the surname Schreiter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schreiter.
Has Schreiter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schreiter went from 409 recorded bearers to 403. That is a decrease of 6 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,960 to #55,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Schreiter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schreiter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schreiter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schreiter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schreiter (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 Schreiter mean?
A German occupational surname meaning wayfarer or traveler. 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 Schreiter (0.13 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 Schreiter?
Find out how many people have the last name Schreiter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.