Explore the Family Name Scherf

The meaning of Scherf

1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German, Middle Low German scherf, a coin worth half a penny, possibly applied as a nickname for a poor person. 2. German: nickname from Middle High German scharpf, scherf ‘sharp, rough’. 3. German: habitational name from any of the places in the Rhineland named Scherf. Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Friedrich, Heinz, Kurt, Uwe.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Scherf in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Scherf has seen a downward trend between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Scherf was ranked as the 24,949th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to 27,303rd. Over this period, the count of individuals with this surname also declined from 935 to 885, representing a decrease of 5.35%. The proportion of people named Scherf per 100,000 population also decreased by 14.29%, from 0.35 in 2000 to 0.3 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#24,949	#27,303	-9.44%
Count	935	885	-5.35%
Proportion per 100k	0.35	0.3	-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Scherf

The ethnicity breakdown for the surname Scherf, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows that the majority of individuals with this name identify as White, accounting for 96.15% in 2000 and 95.71% in 2010. There was an 8.14% decrease in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander over the ten years, along with an 11.72% decrease among those reporting two or more races. However, there was a 13.67% increase in individuals identifying as Hispanic. The counts for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at zero throughout the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.15%	95.71%	-0.46%
Hispanic	1.39%	1.58%	13.67%
Two or More Races	1.28%	1.13%	-11.72%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.86%	0.79%	-8.14%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%