Scholl
A surname with several possible German roots, including a nickname linked to a “rogue” or possibly a place-name.
The #3,787 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,017 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Scholl is most likely German, but its exact origin is not settled. Older surname studies connect it either with Middle High German words such as schalk, meaning a servant, rascal, or rogue, or with a shortened form of a place-based name. Other scholars have suggested an origin from a German place-name called Scholl or from a term related to “school” in some cases, but the evidence is not uniform. Because the historical sources disagree and the name appears in several different contexts, the safest conclusion is that Scholl has more than one possible German origin.
History
The name is found in German-speaking areas and also appears among German-American families in 19th- and early-20th-century records. Some references treat Scholl as a local surname tied to a place called Scholl in Zurich, while others group it with names derived from older German nickname forms. The surname is well known in modern times through the German student resistance figure Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans Scholl.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A Swiss place called Scholl is cited in older onomastic literature as one possible source of the surname.
From the historical record
“(sea-wolf) ; G. Saul, Sauler ; D.B. Saulf, Seulf, Saul ; Dch. Scholl, Saul ; FI. Swolf, Soualle ; p.n. Iaumarez. See Sammars Saunders. See Sandys Saury. See Sawrey”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)