Explore the Family Name Schleif

The meaning of Schleif

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a (knife) grinder, from Middle High German slīfen, German schleifen ‘to grind’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Schleif saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 29,543 in terms of popularity but slipped to 30,202 in 2010, marking a 2.23% drop. The number of individuals bearing this surname, however, increased from 753 in 2000 to 776 in 2010, reflecting a growth rate of 3.05%. Simultaneously, the proportion per 100k of the population decreased by 7.14%, suggesting that while the absolute numbers grew, it did not keep pace with the overall population growth.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#29,543	#30,202	-2.23%
Count	753	776	3.05%
Proportion per 100k	0.28	0.26	-7.14%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schleif

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Schleif, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, there were some significant changes over the same decade. Although a high percentage of those with the Schleif surname identified as White (96.95% in 2000 and 94.59% in 2010), the decline of 2.43% is noteworthy. Meanwhile, the representation of Hispanic ethnicity more than doubled from 0.80% in 2000 to 1.93% in 2010, marking an impressive growth of 141.25%. For Asian/Pacific Islander and individuals identifying with two or more races, there were also increases, rising by 28.75% and 54.89% respectively. The proportions for Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at 0% throughout the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.95%	94.59%	-2.43%
Two or More Races	1.33%	2.06%	54.89%
Hispanic	0.8%	1.93%	141.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.8%	1.03%	28.75%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%