2000
#3,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.13
Rare Last name
Schulze
An occupational surname referring to a village headman, constable, or steward, derived from the German word "Schultheiß."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,627 Americans carry the last name Schulze. That puts it at #4,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schulze 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 Schulze with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,603
Census rank
#4,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,395 bearers of the surname Schulze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schulze
The surname Schulze has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schultheiз" or "schultheize," which referred to a village magistrate or local official responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing laws.
Schulze is a variant of the more common German surname Schulte, which stems from the same root word. The earliest recorded instances of this name appear in various medieval documents from the northern and central regions of Germany, where it was most prevalent.
One notable historical reference to the name Schulze can be found in the "Deutsches Städtebuch," a compilation of city records from the 13th to the 16th centuries. It mentions several individuals with the surname Schulze who held positions of authority in various towns and cities.
The first known bearer of the name Schulze was Hermann Schulze, a prominent merchant and citizen of the city of Lübeck, who lived in the early 14th century. Another early example is Johannes Schulze, a scholar and rector at the University of Leipzig in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Schulze gained prominence with Martin Schulze, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther. He was born in Saxony in 1491 and died in 1558.
During the 17th century, the Schulze family played a significant role in the development of the city of Berlin. Johann Schulze, born in 1598, was a successful merchant and landowner who helped establish the city's textile industry.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Schulze was Johann Gottlob Ernst Schulze, a German philosopher and psychologist born in 1761. He made important contributions to the field of psychology and is considered a pioneer in the study of perception and consciousness.
Throughout its long history, the surname Schulze has been associated with various professions and fields, from local governance and law enforcement to academia, theology, and commerce. Its origins and etymology reflect the importance of administrative roles in medieval German society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schulze
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schulze 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 Schulze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 7,741
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 271
- Two or more races3.0% · 252
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 58
- Black or African American0.4% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schulze
Schulze 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
#4,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,509
+65 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#4,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,395
-114 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,863 | 8,444 | 3.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,164 | 8,509 | 2.88 | +65 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #4,102 | 8,395 | 2.81 | -114 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 62 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 Schulze 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 | #4,164 | #4,102 | 1.5% |
| Count | 8,509 | 8,395 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 2.81 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schulze bearers went from 8,509 to 8,395 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,164 to #4,102.
FAQ
Schulze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schulze?
Name Census estimates that about 9,627 living Americans carry the surname Schulze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,603 residents.
How common is Schulze?
Schulze ranks #4,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,395 people with the surname Schulze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Schulze.
Has Schulze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schulze went from 8,509 recorded bearers to 8,395. That is a decrease of 114 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,164 to #4,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Schulze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulze, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Schulze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (7,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schulze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Schulze (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 Schulze mean?
An occupational surname referring to a village headman, constable, or steward, derived from the German word "Schultheiß." 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 Schulze (2.81 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 Schulze?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.