2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schrimpsher
An anglicized surname of German origin likely derived from a personal characteristic or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Schrimpsher. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schrimpsher 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Schrimpsher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schrimpsher, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schrimpsher
The surname Schrimpsher is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "schrimp," which referred to a lean or thin person. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a slender physique.
The earliest known references to the Schrimpsher name can be found in records from the 15th century in the region of Bavaria. One notable mention is in a 1487 manuscript from the town of Augsburg, which lists a "Hans Schrimpsher" as a local merchant.
By the 16th century, variations of the spelling had emerged, including Schrimpser, Schrimpscher, and Schrimpshur. These different forms likely arose as the name spread to other areas of Germany and neighboring regions.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Schrimpsher family is recorded as having settled in the town of Wittenberg, which was a center of the Protestant Reformation. One prominent figure from this lineage was Johann Schrimpsher (1612-1679), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who authored several religious texts.
As the Schrimpsher name continued to spread across Europe, it also began to appear in various historical records and documents. For example, a merchant named Jakob Schrimpsher (1745-1823) is mentioned in trade records from the city of Hamburg in the late 18th century.
Another notable individual with this surname was Wilhelm Schrimpsher (1807-1892), a German-born architect who immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He was responsible for designing several prominent buildings in the city of Philadelphia, including the Germantown Town Hall and the Old Masonic Hall.
Other historical figures bearing the Schrimpsher name include Elise Schrimpsher (1867-1942), a German painter and artist known for her landscapes and portraits, and Heinrich Schrimpsher (1892-1967), a German military officer who served in both World War I and World War II.
While the Schrimpsher surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with roots in various regions of Germany and connections to notable individuals across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schrimpsher
Among Census respondents with the surname Schrimpsher, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schrimpsher 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 Schrimpsher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schrimpsher
Schrimpsher 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,501 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 Schrimpsher 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 | #153,769 | #155,270 | -1.0% |
| Count | 106 | 101 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schrimpsher bearers went from 106 to 101 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,270.
FAQ
Schrimpsher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schrimpsher?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Schrimpsher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Schrimpsher?
Schrimpsher ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Schrimpsher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Schrimpsher.
Has Schrimpsher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schrimpsher went from 106 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schrimpsher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schrimpsher, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Schrimpsher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schrimpsher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Schrimpsher (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 Schrimpsher mean?
An anglicized surname of German origin likely derived from a personal characteristic or occupation. 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 Schrimpsher (0.03 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 share the surname Schrimpsher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.