SCHINDLER
The surname Schindler originates in German-speaking Europe and is traditionally classified as an occupational name. It is recorded in the earliest sources from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and has remained in use to the present day.
In Middle High German the verb schinden means “to flay” or “to skin”, and the derivative noun Schinder referred to a person who performed the labour of preparing animal hides. Thus, a member of the trade of tanning or leather work would be called a Schindler in contemporary speech.
The first documented instance of the name is that of Counradus Schindelere, listed as a citizen of Uri in Switzerland in the year 1248. A subsequent reference to a Cunradus Schindeler appears in the charters of Gersbach, Germany in 1266. These examples show that the surname was already established in the low-land Germanic regions of the Middle Ages.
Another early sense of the name relates to the production of wooden roofing tiles. The earliest form, Schindel, described a shingle or a maker of shingles, which were valued for their insulating properties. The occupational use of the name consequently persisted for those who constructed and supplied roofs.
In Silesia the surname is sometimes interpreted as a toponymic form. The components schin or schind pledge a meaning of “divide”, while the suffix -ler indicates a dweller or person associated with a place. The theory that the family originally resided near the “Schinzenplatte” castle near Pobiedzistow aligns with this linguistic construction.
The surname entered global consciousness through Oskar Schindler, a Polish‑German industrialist who, during the Second World War, protected and saved more than a thousand Jews from extermination. His actions, later commemorated in the 1993 film Schindler’s List, established the name as an emblem of courage and humanitarianism. A contemporary foundation founded by his descendants continues to promote this legacy.
Today the name is most frequently encountered in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, with smaller concentrations elsewhere in central and eastern Europe. The surname has accrued numerous orthographic variants, including Schintler, Schindelar, Schindel, and the Polish forms Szindler and Szindlerowicz, as well as the Czech adaptations Schindelář and the Yiddish spelling Shindel. Such diversity reflects the historical movement of German-speaking populations across the continent.
Although the surname is comparatively uncommon in contemporary Britain, the legacy attached to the name remains powerful in both German culture and in worldwide remembrance of the Holocaust. The name invites reflection on the capacity for individual agency in the face of collective atrocity and continues to inspire both historical study and philanthropic endeavours.
Typical given names associated with the Schindler surname
Male
- Andreas
- Andrew
- Daniel
- David
- Josef
- Karl
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Daniela
- Deborah
- Doreen
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Jean
- Julie
- Kate
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Ruth
- Susanne
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Schindler in...
Braille
⠎⠉⠓⠊⠝⠙⠇⠑⠗
Morse
...-.-.......-.-...-....-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 282 people named Schindler in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around four in a million people in Britain are named Schindler.
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Germany
Language of origin: German
Famous people named Schindler
- Oskar Schindler - German industrialist and Holocaust rescuer (1908 to 1974)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.