Schrader
A German surname meaning “tailor,” ultimately from an old word for cutting or trimming cloth.
The #2,171 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,458 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schrader is an occupational surname tied to an old Germanic verb for cutting, trimming, or tailoring cloth. The same word family appears in forms such as Schröder, Schreuder, and related Low German and Dutch variants, all pointing to the craft of the tailor. In this surname tradition, the literal sense is essentially “one who cuts” or “the tailor.”
History
The name is especially associated with northern and Low German speech areas, where Schrader developed alongside Schröder and Schreuder as a regional spelling and pronunciation variant. Historical surname writers also note its use in Dutch and Frisian areas, where related forms remained common. In English-speaking countries, Schrader is usually encountered through German or Dutch immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In some Frisian areas, a related form of this word family stayed in everyday use for a tailor long after it had become mainly a surname elsewhere.
From the historical record
“Babylonian Sudur-Aku, 'Command of the Moon-God.' This view is pronounced by Schrader to have considerable proba- bility."—ZJfrf. Bible, ed. Hastings, iv. 472] (Eng.) for Sheldrake, q.v. SHADWELL (Ehg.) Bel. to Shadwell (Yorks :”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)