2000
#450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,412
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.62
Uncommon Last name
Schroeder
An occupational surname for a tailor or cloth cutter, derived from the German word "schrôter" meaning "cutter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 74,865 Americans carry the last name Schroeder. That puts it at #502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,578 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schroeder 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 Schroeder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
75K
1 in 4,578
Census rank
#502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
65K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 65,286 bearers of the surname Schroeder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schroeder
The surname Schroeder has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Schroder," which means "tailor" or "cloth cutter." This occupational surname was likely given to individuals who worked in the textile industry or specialized in tailoring garments.
The earliest known record of the Schroeder surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. It was commonly found in medieval documents and records, often spelled with variations such as Schroder, Schroter, or Schrotter.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Schroeder name was Johannes Schroeder, a German theologian and scholar born in 1528 in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein. He authored several religious works and served as a professor at the University of Marburg.
Another prominent figure was Johann Hieronymus Schroeder, a German chemist and alchemist born in 1648 in Hesse. He made significant contributions to the study of chemistry and wrote extensively on alchemical processes.
In the 18th century, Johann Samuel Schroeder (1735-1808) was a German composer and organist known for his contributions to church music and organ compositions.
The Schroeder surname was also associated with notable individuals in the field of literature. Johann Georg Schroeder (1750-1788) was a German poet and playwright who wrote several works in the Sturm und Drang literary movement.
Later, in the 19th century, Friedrich Ludwig Schroeder (1844-1892) was a German philologist and linguist who studied and wrote extensively on the Germanic languages.
While the Schroeder surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. Today, it can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schroeder
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schroeder 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 Schroeder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 60,533
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,004
- Two or more races2.7% · 1,747
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 478
- Black or African American0.4% · 275
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 249
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schroeder
Schroeder 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
#489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,977
+1,565 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 23.04
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,286
-2,691 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 21.84
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #450 | 66,412 | 24.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #489 | 67,977 | 23.04 | +1,565 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #502 | 65,286 | 21.84 | -2,691 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 13 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 Schroeder 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 | #489 | #502 | -2.7% |
| Count | 67,977 | 65,286 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 23.04 | 21.84 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schroeder bearers went from 67,977 to 65,286 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #489 to #502.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schroeder
FAQ
Schroeder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schroeder?
Name Census estimates that about 74,865 living Americans carry the surname Schroeder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,578 residents.
How common is Schroeder?
Schroeder ranks #502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 65,286 people with the surname Schroeder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (74,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Schroeder.
Has Schroeder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schroeder went from 67,977 recorded bearers to 65,286. That is a decrease of 2,691 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #489 to #502.
What does the Census say about the background of Schroeder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schroeder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schroeder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (60,533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schroeder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schroeder (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 Schroeder mean?
An occupational surname for a tailor or cloth cutter, derived from the German word "schrôter" meaning "cutter." 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 Schroeder (21.84 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 Schroeder?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Schroeder at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.