2000
#13,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sherrer
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the Old French word "schere" meaning "to cut."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,165 Americans carry the last name Sherrer. That puts it at #15,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherrer 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
2.2K
1 in 158,316
Census rank
#15,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,888 bearers of the surname Sherrer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherrer
The surname Sherrer finds its origins in Germany, with records indicating its prevalence as early as the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "scherre," which referred to a pair of shears or scissors, suggesting that the name may have originally designated an occupation related to cutting or tailoring.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a world history published in 1493. The text mentions a notable individual named Hans Sherrer, a merchant and burgher of the city of Nuremberg during the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Sherrer name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and the Rhineland. A notable bearer of the name during this period was Johann Sherrer, a Protestant theologian and reformer born in Augsburg in 1515. He played a role in the Reformation movement and authored several religious texts.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Scherer, Schärer, and Schärrrer. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.
In the 17th century, the Sherrer surname gained prominence in Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Zurich and Bern. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Hans Rudolf Sherrer, a renowned architect born in Zurich in 1625. He is credited with designing several notable buildings, including the Zurich City Hall and the Church of St. Peter.
The 18th century saw the Sherrer name spread further across Europe, with records indicating its presence in France, Austria, and the Netherlands. In France, a notable figure bearing the name was Jean-Baptiste Sherrer, a military officer and engineer born in Strasbourg in 1743. He served in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars and played a role in the construction of fortifications along the Rhine.
As the centuries progressed, the Sherrer surname continued to be associated with various professions and industries, including tailoring, agriculture, and skilled trades. The name has also been carried by numerous individuals who have made contributions in fields such as literature, music, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherrer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherrer 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 Sherrer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.2% · 1,382
- Black or African American18.9% · 357
- Two or more races4.0% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherrer
Sherrer 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
#13,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,250
+209 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 138 places
2020
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,888
-362 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,523 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,635 | 2,041 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,497 | 2,250 | 0.76 | +209 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 138 places |
| 2020 | #15,020 | 1,888 | 0.63 | -362 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 1,523 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 Sherrer 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 | #13,497 | #15,020 | -11.3% |
| Count | 2,250 | 1,888 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.63 | -16.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherrer bearers went from 2,250 to 1,888 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 1,523 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,497 to #15,020.
FAQ
Sherrer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherrer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,165 living Americans carry the surname Sherrer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,316 residents.
How common is Sherrer?
Sherrer ranks #15,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,888 people with the surname Sherrer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Sherrer.
Has Sherrer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherrer went from 2,250 recorded bearers to 1,888. That is a decrease of 362 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,497 to #15,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherrer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Sherrer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (1,382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherrer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.2%), Black (18.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Sherrer (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 Sherrer mean?
An occupational surname for a cloth cutter or tailor, derived from the Old French word "schere" 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 Sherrer (0.63 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 Sherrer?
See how many people have the last name Sherrer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.