Explore the Family Name Schleef

The meaning of Schleef

North German: metonymic occupational name from Middle Low German slef ‘large wooden spoon (made and used by peasants)’ for the maker of these spoons or a cook, which later came to mean ‘coarse fellow, rube’. Some characteristic forenames: German Dietrich.

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

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

The surname Schleef, based on data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census, saw a slight decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 76,946 in terms of commonality and fell to 84,463 by 2010, marking a decline of around 9.77%. The count of individuals with this surname also saw a minor drop of approximately 4.31%, going from 232 in 2000 to 222 in 2010. This led to a proportion per 100,000 people of 0.09 in 2000 decreasing slightly to 0.08 in 2010, a reduction of about 11.11%.

20002010Change
Rank#76,946#84,463-9.77%
Count232222-4.31%
Proportion per 100k0.090.08-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schleef

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Schleef, again using data provided by the Decennial U.S. Census, we can see that the vast majority identify as White. In 2000, 96.98% of individuals with the Schleef surname identified their ethnicity as White, decreasing only marginally to 96.4% in 2010. There was no recorded change in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, there was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, moving from 0% in 2000 to 2.7% in 2010.

20002010Change
White96.98%96.4%-0.6%
Hispanic0%2.7%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%