2000
#109,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Shindeldecker
A German surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden roof shingles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Shindeldecker. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shindeldecker 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Shindeldecker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shindeldecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shindeldecker
The surname Shindeldecker is of German origin and dates back to the early 16th century. It originated in the southwestern regions of present-day Germany, particularly in areas near the Black Forest. The name is derived from the German words "schindel," meaning wooden roof shingles, and "decker," meaning a roofer or thatcher.
This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the occupation of roofing or thatching homes and buildings with wooden shingles. The name may have been given as a descriptive occupational surname to identify individuals or families engaged in this trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shindeldecker can be found in the Württemberg church records from the mid-16th century, where a certain Hans Shindeldecker is mentioned as a resident of the town of Calw in 1557.
Another early reference to the name appears in the town of Ebingen, where a Jakob Shindeldecker is listed in the local tax records from 1583. This indicates that the name had already spread to various regions within the German-speaking territories by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Shindeldecker started appearing in various forms and variations, such as Schindeldecker, Schindeldeker, and Schindeltecker, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations common during that period.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Christoph Shindeldecker, a German architect and builder who lived from 1684 to 1754. He is credited with the design and construction of several notable buildings in the city of Frankfurt, including the Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church) and the Waisenhaus (Orphanage).
Another individual of historical significance was Georg Friedrich Shindeldecker, a German composer and organist who lived from 1753 to 1827. He served as the court organist in Darmstadt and composed numerous works for organ and other instruments.
In the 19th century, the name Shindeldecker began to spread beyond the German-speaking regions as individuals and families emigrated to other parts of Europe and across the Atlantic to North America. One notable example is Johann Shindeldecker, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1840s and established a successful carpentry and roofing business.
Throughout its history, the surname Shindeldecker has been associated with various occupations related to construction, carpentry, and roofing, reflecting its origins as an occupational name. It has also been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, musicians, and tradesmen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shindeldecker
Among Census respondents with the surname Shindeldecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shindeldecker 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 Shindeldecker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shindeldecker
Shindeldecker 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-13 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,103 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-20 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,010 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,915 | 149 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 16,103 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 19,010 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 Shindeldecker 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 | #126,018 | #145,028 | -15.1% |
| Count | 136 | 116 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shindeldecker bearers went from 136 to 116 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 19,010 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #145,028.
FAQ
Shindeldecker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shindeldecker?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Shindeldecker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Shindeldecker?
Shindeldecker ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Shindeldecker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shindeldecker.
Has Shindeldecker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shindeldecker went from 136 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Shindeldecker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shindeldecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Shindeldecker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shindeldecker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (5.2%), Black (0.9%). 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 Shindeldecker (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 Shindeldecker mean?
A German surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden roof shingles. 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 Shindeldecker (0.04 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 Shindeldecker?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Shindeldecker is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.