2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Karschnik
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the village of Karschnik.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Karschnik. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karschnik surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Karschnik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karschnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karschnik
The surname KARSCHNIK is of German origin, first appearing in historical records from the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Silesia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire during that time period.
The name KARSCHNIK is thought to be derived from the German word "Karsch," which referred to a type of coarse woolen fabric or cloth. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the textile trade or production of this particular fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KARSCHNIK name can be found in the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in the town of Zittau, Saxony, dating back to 1583. The entry lists a child named Hans Karschnik, son of a local weaver.
In 1647, a farmer named Gottfried Karschnik is mentioned in the land registry documents of the village of Großhennersdorf, located in the region of Upper Lusatia, which was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia at that time.
During the 18th century, the KARSCHNIK name began to spread across various parts of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Gottlieb Karschnik (1717-1792), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Silesia, and Maria Karschnik (1765-1831), a renowned lacemaker from the city of Plauen in Saxony.
In the 19th century, several KARSCHNIK families immigrated to the United States, settling primarily in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. One of the earliest arrivals was Friedrich Karschnik (1822-1901), a farmer from Prussia who settled in Wisconsin in 1848.
Another notable figure was Karl Karschnik (1876-1942), an Austrian artist and painter who was part of the Secession movement in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century.
Throughout its history, the KARSCHNIK surname has maintained a strong presence in various German-speaking regions, although it remains relatively uncommon compared to some other surnames from those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karschnik
Among Census respondents with the surname Karschnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Karschnik bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Karschnik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karschnik
Karschnik appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,357 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 3,357 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 4,695 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Karschnik surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #150,452 | #145,757 | 3.1% |
| Count | 109 | 115 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karschnik bearers went from 109 to 115 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 4,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,757.
FAQ
Karschnik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karschnik?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Karschnik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Karschnik?
Karschnik ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Karschnik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Karschnik.
Has Karschnik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karschnik went from 109 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 6 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Karschnik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karschnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Karschnik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karschnik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Karschnik (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Karschnik mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the village of Karschnik. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Karschnik (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Karschnik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.