2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salchow
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Salz" meaning salt, likely referring to someone involved in salt production or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Salchow. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salchow 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Salchow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salchow, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salchow
The surname Salchow is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "salha," which referred to a willow tree, and was likely a name given to someone who lived near or owned land with willow trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Salchow can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Bishopric of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Salchowe" and "Salchau," suggesting its evolution over time.
In the 16th century, the Salchow family was prominent in the city of Lübeck, with several members holding influential positions within the city's government and merchant guilds. Notably, Hinrich Salchow (1510-1578) was a respected merchant and served as a member of the city council.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Salchow name spread to other parts of Germany, with records indicating families in regions such as Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and Saxony. Johann Friedrich Salchow (1670-1739), a Lutheran theologian and author, was born in Saxony and published several influential works on religious subjects.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the Salchow surname was Ulrich Salchow (1877-1949), a Swedish figure skater and the inventor of the iconic Salchow jump in figure skating. His innovative contribution to the sport has left a lasting legacy and has been recognized by the International Skating Union.
Other notable Salchows throughout history include Karl Salchow (1860-1926), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, and Max Salchow (1870-1947), a German artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
While the Salchow name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Scandinavia, North America, and beyond, as families migrated and settled in new regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salchow
Among Census respondents with the surname Salchow, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Salchow 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 Salchow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salchow
Salchow 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Salchow 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 | #140,157 | #151,639 | -8.2% |
| Count | 119 | 107 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salchow bearers went from 119 to 107 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #151,639.
FAQ
Salchow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salchow?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Salchow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Salchow?
Salchow ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Salchow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Salchow.
Has Salchow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salchow went from 119 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Salchow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salchow, 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 Salchow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salchow 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 Salchow (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 Salchow mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Salz" meaning salt, likely referring to someone involved in salt production or trade. 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 Salchow (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 are called Salchow?
Want to know how many people have the surname Salchow? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.