Explore the Family Name Schleifer

The meaning of Schleifer

1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a grinder (of knives, scissors, and the like), from an agent derivative of Middle High German slīfen, German schleifen ‘to grind’. 2. German: habitational name for someone from Schleife in Silesia.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Schleifer" has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 24,827th most common name, but by 2010 it slipped to the 26,229th spot, marking a 5.65% drop in rank. The number of individuals with this surname also experienced a minor decline from 941 in 2000 to 932 in 2010, which represents a decrease of 0.96%. Consequently, the proportion of Schleifers per 100,000 people fell by 8.57%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#24,827	#26,229	-5.65%
Count	941	932	-0.96%
Proportion per 100k	0.35	0.32	-8.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schleifer

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that a significant majority of the Schleifers identify as White, although this percentage dropped slightly from 96.39% in 2000 to 94.21% in 2010. During the same period, there were notable increases in the percentages of Schleifers who identify as Hispanic and Black, rising by 112.26% and 44.30% respectively. Those identifying as belonging to two or more races also saw an increase from 0.64% to 1.07%. However, the census recorded no individuals with the Schleifer surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.39%	94.21%	-2.26%
Hispanic	1.06%	2.25%	112.26%
Black	1.49%	2.15%	44.3%
Two or More Races	0.64%	1.07%	67.19%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%