Find out how popular the last name Schuster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schuster.

Schuster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schuster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schuster in America

Schuster is the 2088th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schuster surname appeared 17,325 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Schuster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schuster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schuster

The surname "Schuster" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "schuochsuter," which means "shoemaker" or "cobbler." This occupational surname first appeared in the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany.

The name is believed to have originated in the cities and towns where shoemaking was a prominent trade, such as Nuremberg, Munich, and other urban centers in southern Germany. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval tax records and guild registers from these areas.

One of the earliest documented uses of the name "Schuster" dates back to 1295, in a record from the city of Cologne, where a certain "Johannes Schuster" was mentioned as a resident. Another early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Schuster" in 1332.

In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Schuster," "Schustermann," and "Schustermeister," reflecting the different regional variations and the hierarchy within the shoemaking profession.

Notable individuals with the surname "Schuster" throughout history include Johann Schuster (1472-1539), a German theologian and reformer who was a close associate of Martin Luther. Another prominent figure was Christian Schuster (1523-1584), a German composer and music theorist known for his work on musical notation.

In the 18th century, Johann Schuster (1777-1838) was a German painter and engraver who specialized in landscape and architectural subjects. A century later, Max Schuster (1870-1933) was a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the publishing house that would later become known as Simon & Schuster.

More recently, Albert Schuster (1905-1977) was a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the study of cosmic rays and the development of particle detectors.

While these are just a few examples, the surname "Schuster" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting the importance of the shoemaking trade in German culture and society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schuster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schuster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schuster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schuster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schuster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schuster, please contact us.

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