Sharrer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sharrer

A German surname likely derived from the word "scharer" meaning soldier or warrior.

Sharrer, 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 Sharrer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sharrer in America

Sharrer is the 37229th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sharrer surname appeared 599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sharrer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sharrer 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank37229345037.60%
Count599621-3.61%
Proportion per 100k0.200.23-13.95%

The history of the last name Sharrer

The surname SHARRER is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "scharren," which means "to scratch or scrape." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade, perhaps a farmer or someone who worked with tools that involved scraping or digging.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHARRER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which dates back to the 13th century. In this manuscript, the name appears as "Scharrer," indicating its close relation to the Middle High German root word.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name SHARRER began to spread across various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is likely that the name was associated with various settlements or villages, as many surnames during this period were derived from place names.

One notable individual bearing the SHARRER surname was Johannes Scharrer, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1501 to 1564. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in the region of Saxony.

Another historical figure with the SHARRER surname was Johann Scharrer, a German composer and organist who lived from 1612 to 1676. He was known for his contributions to the development of sacred music during the Baroque period and served as the court organist for the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

In the 19th century, the SHARRER surname made its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through immigration. One example is Wilhelm Scharrer, a German-American artist and painter who lived from 1837 to 1892. He is best known for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the American West.

Another notable figure was Hans Scharrer, an Austrian-American engineer and inventor who lived from 1886 to 1966. He played a crucial role in the development of automotive technologies, particularly in the field of rear-wheel-drive systems used in early automobiles.

As the SHARRER surname spread across different regions, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some alternative spellings include Scherer, Schärer, and Schärer, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the areas where the name was adopted.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sharrer

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

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 Sharrer was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only93.49%560
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only1.17%7
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.51%21
Hispanic Origin1.00%6

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 Sharrer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White93.49%94.85%-1.44%
Black(S)%1.13%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander1.17%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races3.51%2.42%36.76%
Hispanic1.00%0.81%20.99%

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 Sharrer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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