2000
#1,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.38
Uncommon Last name
Schuster
An occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler, derived from the German word "Schuster" meaning "shoemaker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,052 Americans carry the last name Schuster. That puts it at #2,116 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,990 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schuster 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 Schuster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,990
Census rank
#2,116
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,614 bearers of the surname Schuster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2116th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Another early reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Schuster" in 1332.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schuster
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schuster 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 Schuster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 15,165
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 541
- Two or more races3.0% · 501
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 204
- Black or African American0.8% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schuster
Schuster 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
#2,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,325
+104 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 5.87
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#2,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,614
-711 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.56
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,916 | 17,221 | 6.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,088 | 17,325 | 5.87 | +104 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #2,116 | 16,614 | 5.56 | -711 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 28 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 Schuster 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 | #2,088 | #2,116 | -1.3% |
| Count | 17,325 | 16,614 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.87 | 5.56 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schuster bearers went from 17,325 to 16,614 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,088 to #2,116.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schuster
FAQ
Schuster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schuster?
Name Census estimates that about 19,052 living Americans carry the surname Schuster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,990 residents.
How common is Schuster?
Schuster ranks #2,116 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,614 people with the surname Schuster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Schuster.
Has Schuster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schuster went from 17,325 recorded bearers to 16,614. That is a decrease of 711 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,088 to #2,116.
What does the Census say about the background of Schuster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuster, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) 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 Schuster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (15,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schuster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), 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 Schuster (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 Schuster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler, derived from the German word "Schuster" meaning "shoemaker." 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 Schuster (5.56 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 Schuster?
See how many people have the surname Schuster on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.