2000
#12,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Schueler
A German occupational surname referring to a student, schoolboy, or pupil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,607 Americans carry the last name Schueler. That puts it at #12,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schueler 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
2.6K
1 in 131,475
Census rank
#12,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,273 bearers of the surname Schueler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schueler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schueler
The surname Schueler originated in German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th centuries. It is derived from the German word "Schüler," which means "student" or "pupil." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who worked as teachers or students in educational institutions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schueler can be found in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Strassburg (Record Book of the City of Strasbourg) from the year 1282, which mentions a person named Johannes Schueler. This document provides evidence that the name was in use in the Alsace region of present-day France during the 13th century.
Another early reference to the name Schueler appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis (Diplomatic Code of Brandenburg), a collection of historical documents from the former Margraviate of Brandenburg in modern-day Germany. This source includes a record from 1375 mentioning a person named Henricus Schueler.
Notable individuals with the surname Schueler throughout history include Johann Schueler (1578-1643), a German composer and organist active in the early Baroque period. Another prominent figure was Johann Christoph Schueler (1670-1733), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Duchy of Württemberg.
In the 19th century, Gustav Schueler (1822-1900) was a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the national parliament of the German Empire. Around the same time, Carl Schueler (1835-1903) was a German-American painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations of Native American life.
A more recent example is Hans Schueler (1916-2003), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and development of several German cities after World War II, including Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
While the surname Schueler has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and historical events. However, the name remains closely tied to its origins and continues to reflect its connection to education and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schueler
Among Census respondents with the surname Schueler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schueler 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 Schueler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,139
- Two or more races2.8% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schueler
Schueler 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
#12,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,404
+119 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#12,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,273
-131 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,458 | 2,285 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,825 | 2,404 | 0.81 | +119 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #12,925 | 2,273 | 0.76 | -131 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 100 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 Schueler 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 | #12,825 | #12,925 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,404 | 2,273 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schueler bearers went from 2,404 to 2,273 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,825 to #12,925.
FAQ
Schueler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schueler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,607 living Americans carry the surname Schueler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,475 residents.
How common is Schueler?
Schueler ranks #12,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,273 people with the surname Schueler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,607), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Schueler.
Has Schueler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schueler went from 2,404 recorded bearers to 2,273. That is a decrease of 131 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,825 to #12,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Schueler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schueler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schueler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schueler 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 (2.8%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schueler (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 Schueler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a student, schoolboy, or pupil. 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 Schueler (0.76 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 common is the surname Schueler?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Schueler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.