2000
#10,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Schroer
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schrôtære," meaning a cloth cutter or tailor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,133 Americans carry the last name Schroer. That puts it at #11,088 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schroer 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
3.1K
1 in 109,401
Census rank
#11,088
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,732 bearers of the surname Schroer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11088th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schroer
The surname SCHROER is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the early 16th century. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, particularly in the areas around the cities of Halle and Magdeburg.
SCHROER is derived from the Middle Low German word "schroder," which means "tailor" or "cloth cutter." This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals or families who were engaged in the trade of tailoring or cloth-cutting during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the SCHROER surname can be found in the parish records of St. Ulrich's Church in Halle, dating back to the mid-16th century. The name also appears in various church records and municipal documents from other cities in Saxony-Anhalt during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the 18th century, the SCHROER surname was particularly prevalent in the town of Bitterfeld, located in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt. Johann Gottfried Schroer (1683-1758), a prominent merchant and alderman, was one of the notable bearers of this name in Bitterfeld during that time.
Another noteworthy individual with the SCHROER surname was Johann Samuel Schroeter (1735-1808), a German astronomer and mathematician. He was born in Bitterfeld and made significant contributions to the study of planetary astronomy, particularly in the observation and calculation of the orbits of comets.
In the 19th century, the SCHROER surname spread to other parts of Germany, and some bearers of this name emigrated to various countries, including the United States and Australia. One such individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Schroer (1810-1888), a German-born artist and painter who settled in New York City and became known for his landscapes and portraits.
Another notable figure with the SCHROER surname was Karl Julius Schroer (1838-1887), a German philologist and scholar of Old Norse literature. He was born in Altenburg, Thuringia, and is known for his translations and studies of Icelandic sagas and Norse mythology.
As the SCHROER family grew and dispersed, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, such as Schroeder, Schroder, and Schröder. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the occupation of tailoring or cloth-cutting in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schroer
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schroer 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 Schroer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,570
- Two or more races2.4% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schroer
Schroer 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
#10,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,182
+416 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 497 places
2020
#11,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,732
-450 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 956 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,629 | 2,766 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,132 | 3,182 | 1.08 | +416 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 497 places |
| 2020 | #11,088 | 2,732 | 0.91 | -450 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 956 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 Schroer 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 | #10,132 | #11,088 | -9.4% |
| Count | 3,182 | 2,732 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.91 | -15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schroer bearers went from 3,182 to 2,732 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 956 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,132 to #11,088.
FAQ
Schroer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schroer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,133 living Americans carry the surname Schroer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,401 residents.
How common is Schroer?
Schroer ranks #11,088 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,732 people with the surname Schroer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schroer.
Has Schroer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schroer went from 3,182 recorded bearers to 2,732. That is a decrease of 450 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,132 to #11,088.
What does the Census say about the background of Schroer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Schroer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schroer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Schroer (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 Schroer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "schrôtære," meaning a cloth cutter or tailor. 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 Schroer (0.91 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 surname Schroer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.