2000
#8,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Schuyler
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from the town of Schuyler in the Netherlands, meaning "shelter" or "hidden place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,727 Americans carry the last name Schuyler. That puts it at #9,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schuyler 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
3.7K
1 in 91,965
Census rank
#9,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,250 bearers of the surname Schuyler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schuyler
The surname Schuyler has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Utrecht. It is derived from the Dutch word "schuilen," which means "to shelter" or "to hide." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with someone who lived in a secluded or hidden location.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Schuyler date back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pieter Schuyler, who was born in Utrecht in 1540 and served as a magistrate in the city.
In the 17th century, members of the Schuyler family emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of the British colony of New York. One of the most notable figures from this era was Philip Pietersen Schuyler, who was born in Amsterdam in 1628 and later settled in Beverwyck (now Albany, New York) in 1650. He became a prominent trader and landowner in the colony and served as the mayor of Albany from 1676 to 1685.
Another significant individual with the surname Schuyler was Philip Schuyler, who was born in Albany in 1733. He played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a major general in the Continental Army and commanding the Northern Department. He was also a member of the Continental Congress and served as a United States Senator from New York.
In the 19th century, John Schuyler, who was born in New York in 1806, became a renowned architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C., and the New York State Lunatic Asylum in Utica.
Another prominent figure with the surname Schuyler was Louisa Lee Schuyler, who was born in New York City in 1837. She was a philanthropist and social reformer who founded the first training school for nurses in the United States, which later became the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing.
Throughout its history, the surname Schuyler has been associated with various place names in the Netherlands and the United States. For example, Schuyler County in New York and the town of Schuyler Falls are named after the Schuyler family, reflecting their significant influence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schuyler
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Schuyler 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 Schuyler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 2,774
- Two or more races4.8% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 107
- Black or African American2.8% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schuyler
Schuyler 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
#9,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,480
+108 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 424 places
2020
#9,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,250
-230 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,923 | 3,372 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,347 | 3,480 | 1.18 | +108 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 424 places |
| 2020 | #9,566 | 3,250 | 1.09 | -230 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 219 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 Schuyler 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 | #9,347 | #9,566 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,480 | 3,250 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.09 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schuyler bearers went from 3,480 to 3,250 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,347 to #9,566.
FAQ
Schuyler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schuyler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,727 living Americans carry the surname Schuyler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,965 residents.
How common is Schuyler?
Schuyler ranks #9,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,250 people with the surname Schuyler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Schuyler.
Has Schuyler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schuyler went from 3,480 recorded bearers to 3,250. That is a decrease of 230 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,347 to #9,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Schuyler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schuyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Schuyler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (2,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schuyler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Schuyler (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 Schuyler mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from the town of Schuyler in the Netherlands, meaning "shelter" or "hidden place." 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 Schuyler (1.09 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 Schuyler?
You can see how many people have the surname Schuyler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.