2000
#272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100,553
First available Census row
Per 100,000 37.27
Common Last name
Schneider
An occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who cuts cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111,723 Americans carry the last name Schneider. That puts it at #320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 32.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schneider 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 Schneider with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
112K
1 in 3,068
Census rank
#320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
32.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97,428 bearers of the surname Schneider in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 32.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schneider, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schneider
The surname Schneider originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "schneiden," meaning "to cut." It is an occupational surname that was initially given to tailors, clothiers, or cloth-cutters in medieval times.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Schneider can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name was initially spelled as "Snider" or "Snyder" before evolving into its current form.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Schneider can be found in the Heidelberg Tax Records of 1396, where a certain "Hans Schneider" is mentioned as a resident of the city. Another notable early record is from the Worms Citizen Register of 1497, which lists a "Kunz Schneider."
During the Middle Ages, the name Schneider became associated with various guilds and trade associations related to the clothing industry. Some well-known historical figures with this surname include Johann Georg Schneider (1728-1805), a prominent German poet and playwright, and Georg Abraham Schneider (1770-1839), a German astronomer and mathematician.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Schneider name appeared in various parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and Austria, where families with this surname were involved in textile and clothing trades. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Schneider (1615-1704), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer.
As the name spread across Europe, it also gained prominence in other fields. For instance, Eugen Schneider (1819-1875) was a German industrialist who founded the steel manufacturing company Schneider Creusot in France, which played a significant role in the country's industrialization.
Another well-known figure with the surname Schneider was Gerd Schneider (1959-2009), a German footballer who played for several Bundesliga clubs and represented West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
While the surname Schneider is most prevalent in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have occurred over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schneider
Among Census respondents with the surname Schneider, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schneider 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 Schneider surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 90,306
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3,109
- Two or more races2.6% · 2,542
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 722
- Black or African American0.5% · 504
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 245
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schneider
Schneider 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
#312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101,290
+737 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 34.34
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97,428
-3,862 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 32.60
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #272 | 100,553 | 37.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #312 | 101,290 | 34.34 | +737 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #320 | 97,428 | 32.60 | -3,862 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 8 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 Schneider 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 | #312 | #320 | -2.6% |
| Count | 101,290 | 97,428 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 34.34 | 32.60 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schneider bearers went from 101,290 to 97,428 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #312 to #320.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schneider
FAQ
Schneider surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schneider?
Name Census estimates that about 111,723 living Americans carry the surname Schneider. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,068 residents.
How common is Schneider?
Schneider ranks #320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 32.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 33 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97,428 people with the surname Schneider. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 32.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 32.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 33 of them to have the surname Schneider.
Has Schneider become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schneider went from 101,290 recorded bearers to 97,428. That is a decrease of 3,862 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #312 to #320.
What does the Census say about the background of Schneider?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schneider, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schneider in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (90,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schneider appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schneider (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 Schneider mean?
An occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who cuts cloth. 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 Schneider (32.60 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 Schneider?
See how common the surname Schneider is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.