Show ContentsSchillinger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the name Schillinger. Schillinger was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, often attaching the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from", in some cases as a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Schillinger was a name for someone who lived in the lower Rhineland region.

Early Origins of the Schillinger family

The surname Schillinger was first found in the lower Rhine region, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region, mentioned in archives as early as 1194, where the family had its seat in Saxony-Anhalt, in the district of Potsdam. From the 13th century on the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Schillinger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schillinger research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1194, 1276, 1624, 1637 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Schillinger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schillinger Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Schillinger include Schilling, Schillings, Schillinger and others.

Early Notables of the Schillinger family

Notables with the name Schillinger during this period were Raphael Schilling auf Schillingshof, who began as a royal chamberlain and later became a major general in the Russian army. He was made a count in 1781...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schillinger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schillinger Ranking

In the United States, the name Schillinger is the 11,791st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Schillinger migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Schillinger, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Schillinger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johann Mart Schillinger, who landed in America in 1752 [2]
  • Johann Martin Schillinger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 [2]
  • Martin Schillinger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 [2]
Schillinger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Schillinger, aged 5, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 [2]
  • Johann George Schillinger, aged 32, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 [2]
  • Johannes Schillinger, aged 3, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 [2]
  • Maria Barbara Schillinger, aged 28, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1805 [2]
  • Joseph Schillinger, aged 34, who arrived in Missouri in 1846 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Schillinger (post 1700) +

  • Gabriel Schillinger (b. 1989), American humanitarian activist and entrepreneur, co-founder and executive director of For Darfur
  • Shann Schillinger (b. 1986), American NFL football safety for the Oakland Raiders
  • Martin Schillinger, American politician, Mayor of Moline, Illinois, 1885-87 [3]
  • Adolph Schillinger, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 15th District, 1894 [3]
  • Patricia Schillinger (b. 1963), French politician, member of the Senate of France
  • Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger (1895-1943), Ukrainian composer, music theorist, and composition teacher who developed the Schillinger System of Musical Composition


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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