Schechter
A Jewish occupational surname meaning “butcher” or “slaughterer.”
The #9,573 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,941 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schechter is a Ashkenazi Jewish occupational surname from Yiddish, ultimately tied to the Hebrew word for ritual slaughter, a root associated with shechitah, the kosher slaughter of animals. In many families it points to an ancestor who worked as a ritual slaughterer, a highly respected religious function in traditional Jewish communities. The spelling reflects Yiddish/German transliteration conventions rather than a single fixed original form.
History
The surname is especially associated with Eastern European Ashkenazi Jewish families and was often adopted or inherited in the 18th and 19th centuries as surnames became more formalized. In English-speaking countries it commonly appears in immigrant records with variant spellings reflecting local spelling habits and transliteration. It is well known in Jewish communities and among diaspora families in the United States and Israel.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The related Hebrew term shechitah refers specifically to the traditional Jewish method of ritual slaughter, so the surname preserves a very old religious occupation.