2000
#2,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,327
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.05
Uncommon Last name
Schulte
A German occupational surname referring to a village magistrate, debt collector, or administrator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,762 Americans carry the last name Schulte. That puts it at #2,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schulte 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schulte with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,269
Census rank
#2,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,361 bearers of the surname Schulte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schulte
The surname Schulte has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Schulte," which means "reeve" or "village headman." The name was initially given to individuals who held this administrative position in rural communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schulte can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, Germany. In this record, a person named Hermannus Schulte is mentioned in a document dated 1254.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Schulte began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Lower Saxony, Westphalia, and parts of the Rhineland. It was often associated with specific villages or towns, leading to variant spellings like Schulten, Schultze, or Schultze.
Notable individuals with the surname Schulte include Johann Wilhelm Schulte (1720-1783), a German theologian and author, and Johann Friedrich Schulte (1794-1869), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848-1849.
In the 19th century, the surname Schulte was also found among German immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States. One prominent figure was Reverend Edward Schulte (1847-1919), a Roman Catholic priest who established several churches and schools in Minnesota.
Another significant individual was Theodor Schulte (1847-1909), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Buffalo, New York, from 1898 to 1902.
In the realm of arts and culture, Rudolph Schulte (1866-1945) was a German-American painter known for his landscapes and seascapes, while Egon Schulte (1908-1981) was a German actor and film director active in the mid-20th century.
The name Schulte continues to be prevalent in Germany and among German diaspora communities around the world, reflecting its rich historical roots and enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schulte
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schulte 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 Schulte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 15,304
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 454
- Two or more races2.5% · 416
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 117
- Black or African American0.3% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schulte
Schulte 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
#2,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,658
+331 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 5.65
Rank movement Down 146 places
2020
#2,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,361
-297 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 5.47
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,037 | 16,327 | 6.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,183 | 16,658 | 5.65 | +331 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 146 places |
| 2020 | #2,162 | 16,361 | 5.47 | -297 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 21 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 Schulte 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 | #2,183 | #2,162 | 1.0% |
| Count | 16,658 | 16,361 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.65 | 5.47 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schulte bearers went from 16,658 to 16,361 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,183 to #2,162.
FAQ
Schulte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schulte?
Name Census estimates that about 18,762 living Americans carry the surname Schulte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,269 residents.
How common is Schulte?
Schulte ranks #2,162 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,361 people with the surname Schulte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,762), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Schulte.
Has Schulte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schulte went from 16,658 recorded bearers to 16,361. That is a decrease of 297 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,183 to #2,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Schulte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulte, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) 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 Schulte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (15,304 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schulte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), 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 Schulte (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 Schulte mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a village magistrate, 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 Schulte (5.47 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 Schulte?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.