Schindler
A German occupational surname meaning “shingle-maker” or “shingle installer.”
The #3,624 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,501 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schindler comes from German Schindel, meaning “shingle” or “roof tile,” plus the agent suffix -er, “one who works with.” The name originally referred to someone who made, sold, or fitted shingles. Older scholarship also links it to Middle High German schindelaere, a shingle-maker.
History
The surname is established in German-speaking areas and is most familiar as a German occupational name. It appears in older surname lists alongside other craft names such as Schlosser, Schneider, and Schmidt. In English-speaking countries it was carried by later German immigration and is now best known through modern bearers such as the composer Kurt Schindler and the filmmaker Fritz Schindler.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname reference works, Schindler is often grouped with a whole family of job-based names, showing how many surnames began as straightforward occupational labels.
From the historical record
“FN. Schimmelpfennig; Schimmelpfeng. Niederd. Schimmelpenninck. Schindler III. mhd. schindelaere „Schindel- macher". Schipper III. s. Schiffer. Schirmeister III. bei den Schmieden der”
— Die deutschen FamiliennamenNotable people named Schindler
- Oskar Schindler (1908–1974)
- Alma Mahler (1879–1964)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.