2000
#6,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,539
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Sherer
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the Middle English word "shere" meaning "to cut."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,955 Americans carry the last name Sherer. That puts it at #7,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherer 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 Sherer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,173
Census rank
#7,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,321 bearers of the surname Sherer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherer
The surname Sherer has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "scherer," which means "shaver" or "barber." It is believed that the name was initially an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked as barbers or hair-cutters.
One of the earliest known references to the name Sherer can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Sherer was mentioned in a document from 1532. Another early mention of the name comes from the town of Augsburg, where a Johann Sherer was recorded as a resident in 1547.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sherer name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with families establishing themselves in cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. Notable individuals with this surname during this period include Johann Michael Sherer (1673-1743), a renowned theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Anna Maria Sherer (1722-1789), a celebrated artist from Berlin.
As German immigrants started to migrate to other parts of Europe and North America in the 19th century, the Sherer name traveled with them. One notable figure from this era was Friedrich Wilhelm Sherer (1815-1892), a German-born American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
In the 20th century, the Sherer name continued to be represented by several notable individuals, such as the American author and editor Walter Sherer (1903-1988) and the German-American artist and illustrator Harry Sherer (1917-2006).
While the name Sherer is most commonly associated with its German roots, it has also been adopted by families in other countries, including France and England, where variations such as Cherier and Sharer have been recorded.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherer 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 Sherer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 3,769
- Black or African American4.9% · 210
- Two or more races3.7% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherer
Sherer 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
#7,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,674
+135 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 328 places
2020
#7,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,321
-353 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,829 | 4,539 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,157 | 4,674 | 1.58 | +135 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 328 places |
| 2020 | #7,433 | 4,321 | 1.45 | -353 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 276 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 Sherer 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 | #7,157 | #7,433 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,674 | 4,321 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.45 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherer bearers went from 4,674 to 4,321 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 276 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,157 to #7,433.
FAQ
Sherer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,955 living Americans carry the surname Sherer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,173 residents.
How common is Sherer?
Sherer ranks #7,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,321 people with the surname Sherer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Sherer.
Has Sherer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherer went from 4,674 recorded bearers to 4,321. That is a decrease of 353 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,157 to #7,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherer, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Sherer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (3,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Sherer (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 Sherer mean?
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the Middle English word "shere" meaning "to cut." 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 Sherer (1.45 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 have the last name Sherer?
If you just want to know how common the surname Sherer is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.