Schott
A name with several possible roots, including a nickname for a Scot or a German form of a related ethnic surname.
The #3,607 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,370 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schott is usually explained as a German surname linked to ethnonyms for Scots or related forms such as Schotte. In older surname scholarship, it is often connected with Scott/Scot, used for someone from Scotland or, in some cases, someone perceived as a Scotsman. Because the name appears in several language traditions, it may also be a Germanized or shortened form in some families rather than a single, fixed source.
History
German surname dictionaries note Schott as a common form alongside Schotte and related variants, and also point out historical uses of names meaning “the Scot.” The surname is found in Germany and among German-speaking communities, and it has also entered English-language records through immigration. In some cases it may be confused with or influenced by the surname Scott.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source specifically remarks that Germans often softened Scotto into Schott, showing how surnames could shift as they moved across languages.
From the historical record
“mines, Dublin. Kaighin, Mrs. M., 8, Schott Street, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Karran, J. J., Thornton, Douglas, I.O.M. Karran, James, 8, Finch Road, Douglas, I.O.M.”
— The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man