2000
#13,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Schuldt
A German occupational surname referring to a village mayor, debt collector, or administrator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,354 Americans carry the last name Schuldt. That puts it at #14,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schuldt 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
2.4K
1 in 145,605
Census rank
#14,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,053 bearers of the surname Schuldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schuldt
The surname Schuldt has its origins in Germany, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "Schultheiß," which refers to a local administrative official or a reeve, who was responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing local laws on behalf of a lord or a sovereign.
The name Schuldt is a variation of the more commonly known surname "Schultheiss," and it is believed to have originated in the regions of northern and central Germany. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various medieval records and documents, although specific references are scarce due to the inconsistent spelling and record-keeping practices of that era.
One notable historical reference to the name Schuldt can be found in the Bremische Bürgerbuch, a registry of citizens in the city of Bremen, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears in various spellings, including "Schuldeman," "Schulten," and "Schuld," reflecting the linguistic and orthographic variations of that time.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Schuldt was Hans Schuldt, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Lübeck, Germany, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Schuldt, a Lutheran pastor and theologian born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1574, who played a significant role in the religious reforms of the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name Schuldt gained further prominence with the birth of Friedrich Schuldt (1622-1688), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Heinrich Schuldt (1739-1804), a German businessman and philanthropist who established several charitable institutions and founded the Schuldt Foundation, which still operates today, providing educational and cultural initiatives in various German cities.
In the 19th century, Karl Schuldt (1814-1891) was a notable German painter and illustrator, known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes in the Romantic style.
It is worth noting that while the surname Schuldt has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration patterns. However, the historical significance and the origins of the name can be traced back to the medieval period in the German-speaking regions of central and northern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schuldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schuldt 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 Schuldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,929
- Two or more races2.5% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 49
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schuldt
Schuldt 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
#13,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
+145 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#14,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
-232 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,104 | 2,140 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,344 | 2,285 | 0.77 | +145 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #14,055 | 2,053 | 0.69 | -232 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 711 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 Schuldt 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 | #13,344 | #14,055 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,285 | 2,053 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.69 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schuldt bearers went from 2,285 to 2,053 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 711 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,344 to #14,055.
FAQ
Schuldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schuldt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,354 living Americans carry the surname Schuldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,605 residents.
How common is Schuldt?
Schuldt ranks #14,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,053 people with the surname Schuldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Schuldt.
Has Schuldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schuldt went from 2,285 recorded bearers to 2,053. That is a decrease of 232 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,344 to #14,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Schuldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schuldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schuldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schuldt (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 Schuldt mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a village mayor, debt collector, or administrator. 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 Schuldt (0.69 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 are called Schuldt?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Schuldt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.