Schulze
A German occupational surname for a village official, especially a magistrate or bailiff.
The #4,164 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,285 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schulze goes back to German schultheiß (modern German Schultheiß), an old term for a local official such as a village magistrate, bailiff, or mayor. The word is traced in historical dictionaries to Middle High German schultheize and Old High German scultheiso. The older form is usually explained as meaning someone who “announced” or “ordered” a duty or judgment, though etymological detail in older sources is sometimes debated.
History
This is a very common German surname, especially in rural areas where nearly every village had a Schulze. Historical writers grouped it with the great occupational surnames of German society, and modern frequency still reflects that long-standing local official role. English-language sources often treat Schulz and Schulze as close variants of the same family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers sometimes placed Schulze among the most common German family names, alongside Müller and Meier.
From the historical record
“SCHULZ SCHULZE (Ger,) Magistrate, Bailiff, Mayor [Ger. schulze, f. M.H.Ger. schultheize (mod. Ger. sehultheiss), O.H.Ger. scultheiso (= A.-Sax. scyldkasta] SCHUMACHER (Ger.) Shoemaker [Ger.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)