Schulte
A North German surname from a local term for a village official or sheriff-like magistrate, ultimately linked to Schultheiß.
The #2,183 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,534 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schulte is a North German form related to the older office-name Schultheiß, a village headman or local magistrate. The historical sources connect it with Low German and Saxon forms such as schulte, scholte, and schout, all pointing to a person who held local authority or collected dues. In some regions the surname also became associated with patronymic-style naming, but its core sense is occupational or official.
History
The name is especially common in northern and western German-speaking areas, particularly Westphalia and neighboring regions. The excerpts note that Schulte can stand beside other descendants of Schultheiß, such as Schulz, Schultes, and the Latinized Scultetus. Because the word was also once used as a personal name, some later family lines may have blended occupational and patronymic interpretation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Historical writers often treated Schulte as one of several regional forms of the same old office-title, alongside Schulz, Scholz, and the Latinized Scultetus.
From the historical record
“So schimmert die ursprüngliche mundartliche Grundlage für ganz Nieder- deutschland in den Familiennamen noch überall durch in Formen wie: Schulte, Möller, Flashaar, Niebuhr (neben Neubauer), VofSy Utermöhlen („aus der Mühle"), Cassebaum (halbniederd. = Kirschbaum) usw. Dahin gehört besonders auch die große Zahl von…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen