Scheid
A German surname most likely referring to a boundary, dividing line, or a place named for such a feature.
The #9,581 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,995 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually linked to German Scheid, from the verb scheiden, meaning “to separate” or “divide.” In place-names, it can refer to a boundary, watershed, or ridge, and surnames built from such places often became hereditary family names. The related forms seen in older sources, such as Scheidt and many local names ending in -scheid, point to this topographic sense.
History
Historical German onomastic studies place Scheid among surnames taken from local place-names, especially in western German-speaking areas. The name is associated with many places called Scheid or ending in -scheid, particularly in the Rhineland, the Arnsberg region, Nassau, and Luxembourg. The surname has remained relatively uncommon but is well established in German-speaking and German-descended populations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root that lies behind Scheid also appears in many German place-names, where it often marks a dividing ridge or border.
From the historical record
“Was die von Ortsnamen stammenden Familiennamen betrifft, so treten 'ich (nich), -raih, -scheid zurück, besonders südlich der Mosel. Statt -raih erscheint auf dem rechten Rheinufer (schon im Regierungsbezirke Köln) -roth (Wilmeroth), welches bis zur Ostgrenze von Thüringen hindurchgeht. Wichtiger aber ist, daß die…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen