Schacht last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Schacht is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schacht.

Meaning of Schacht

A German occupational surname referring to a shaft or mine supervisor, derived from the German word "Schacht."

Schacht, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schacht surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schacht in America

Schacht is the 13195th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schacht surname appeared 2,316 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Schacht.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schacht to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank13195120708.91%
Count2,3162,372-2.39%
Proportion per 100k0.790.88-10.78%

The history of the last name Schacht

The surname Schacht originates from Germany, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schacht," which means "mine shaft" or "pit." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with miners or those involved in the mining industry.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Schacht can be found in the Deutsches Bürgerbuch, a historical record of German citizens, dating back to the 14th century. The name appeared in various forms, such as Schachte, Schachten, and Schachter, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.

During the 15th century, the name Schacht was prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where mining activities were prominent. Several historical records from this period mention individuals bearing this surname, indicating their involvement in mining operations or residing in mining communities.

One notable figure from the 16th century was Hans Schacht, a German mineralogist and mining engineer who lived from 1510 to 1577. He is credited with significant contributions to the development of mining techniques and the understanding of mineral formations.

In the 17th century, the surname Schacht gained prominence in the city of Hamburg, where a family of merchants and bankers bearing this name rose to prominence. Johann Schacht (1592-1664) was a successful merchant and banker who established a thriving business in the city.

Another individual of historical significance was Kaspar Schacht (1658-1705), a German composer and organist from Saxony. He is renowned for his compositions for the organ and his contribution to the development of baroque music.

The 18th century saw the emergence of Johann Friedrich Schacht (1726-1789), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. He authored several influential works on legal theory and practice, which were widely read and studied in German universities.

In the 19th century, the name Schacht was associated with the German industrialist and entrepreneur Adolf von Schacht (1847-1923). He founded the Schacht iron and steel company, which played a significant role in the industrialization of Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Throughout its history, the surname Schacht has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, with its origins rooted in the mining industry and later diversifying into various professions and fields of endeavor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schacht

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schacht.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schacht was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.95%2,199
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.82%19
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.12%26
Hispanic Origin2.85%66

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schacht has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.95%96.12%-1.22%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.82%0.84%-2.41%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races1.12%1.05%6.45%
Hispanic2.85%1.48%63.28%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schacht was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schacht, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape