2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Strehler
A habitational surname derived from a placename, possibly of Slavic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Strehler. 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 Strehler 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 Strehler 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 Strehler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strehler
The surname Strehler is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Strehler," which means "a wanderer" or "a traveler." This name was likely given to someone who was known for their nomadic lifestyle or frequent travels.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Strehler can be found in various German documents and records from the late Middle Ages. One notable mention is in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a compilation of medieval German poetry dating back to the 15th century, where a certain "Hans Strehler" is listed as a contributor.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Strehler began to spread across different regions of Germany and neighboring areas. In the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, there is a record of a family called Strehler residing there in the early 1600s. Additionally, there are references to a "Johann Strehler" from the village of Biebesheim in the late 1700s.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Strehler was Hans Strehler, a German merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg during the late 15th century (c. 1460 - 1522). Another notable bearer of this name was Friedrich Strehler, a renowned German painter and engraver who was born in Dresden in 1776 and died in 1842.
In the 19th century, the name Strehler gained prominence with the birth of Georg Strehler (1812 - 1879), a German philologist and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the Swabian region. His works, such as "Schwäbische Volksbücher" (Swabian Folktales), were widely acclaimed and contributed to the preservation of Swabian literature and folklore.
Another prominent individual with the surname Strehler was Giorgio Strehler (1921 - 1997), an Italian theatre director and actor who is considered one of the most influential figures in modern European theatre. Born in Barcola, Italy, he founded the Piccolo Teatro di Milano (Small Theatre of Milan) and directed numerous acclaimed productions, including works by Shakespeare, Brecht, and Pirandello.
While the surname Strehler is primarily associated with Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the German states, where it originated as a name given to those who were known for their wandering and traveling ways.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strehler
Among Census respondents with the surname Strehler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Strehler 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 Strehler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strehler
Strehler 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,292 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,292 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Strehler 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strehler bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Strehler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strehler?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Strehler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Strehler?
Strehler 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 Strehler. 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 Strehler.
Has Strehler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strehler went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Strehler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strehler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Strehler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strehler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), Two or More Races (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 Strehler (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 Strehler mean?
A habitational surname derived from a placename, possibly of Slavic origin. 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 Strehler (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 are called Strehler?
Want to know how common the surname Strehler is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.