Explore the Family Name Schlief

The meaning of Schlief

North German: from Middle Low German slef ‘wooden spoon’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a spoon maker. The word also had a figurative sense of ‘ruffian’, so it could be a nickname from this.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Schlief has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 54,522nd in terms of popularity and increased slightly to a rank of 54,418th in 2010. This represents a percentage change of 0.19. The number of instances of this surname also increased, from a count of 354 in 2000 to 379 in 2010, a growth of approximately 7.06%. This data suggests that although not a common name, the surname Schlief has moderately grown in usage over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#54,522#54,4180.19%
Count3543797.06%
Proportion per 100k0.130.130%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schlief

When considering the ethnicity associated with the surname Schlief, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, there is an overwhelming predominance of individuals identifying as White. In 2000, a staggering 98.87% of people with the Schlief surname identified themselves as White. A slight decrease occurred in 2010, with the proportion dropping to 98.42%, representing a small change of -0.46%. There were no recorded instances of this surname being associated with Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in either 2000 or 2010.

20002010Change
White98.87%98.42%-0.46%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%