Explore the Family Name Scherzer
The meaning of Scherzer
1. German (also Austria) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a jester or a nickname for a facetious person, from an agent derivative of Middle High German scherz, German Scherz ‘amusement, game, jest’. In part, it is a Gottscheerish (i.e. Gottschee German) surname, originating from the Kočevsko region in Lower Carniola, Slovenia (see Kocevar; see also 3 below). Compare Shertzer. 2. Swiss German: habitational name for someone from a place called Scherz in Switzerland. 3. Germanized form of Slovenian Šercer, itself of German origin (see 1 above), possibly used as a German translation of Slovenian Šega (see Sega). Some characteristic forenames: German Lorenz, Fritz, Heinz, Otto, Wolfgang. Jewish Dov, Shimon, Baruch.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Scherzer in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Scherzer has seen a significant decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked as the 24,701st most popular surname in 2000, it dropped to the 44,730th rank by 2010, a decline of more than 81%. The number of individuals carrying the surname also decreased during this period from 947 to 480, representing a decline of roughly 49%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #24,701 | #44,730 | -81.09% |
| Count | 947 | 480 | -49.31% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.35 | 0.16 | -54.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Scherzer
When examining ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the vast majority of individuals with the surname Scherzer identify as White, with 97.89% in 2000 and 97.29% in 2010. There was a slight increase in those identifying as Hispanic during this time, moving from 1.27% to 1.46%. Interestingly, the 2010 census showed that just over 1% of those with the Scherzer surname identified with two or more ethnicities, a category not represented in the 2000 data. No individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.89% | 97.29% | -0.61% |
| Hispanic | 1.27% | 1.46% | 14.96% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 1.04% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |