2000
#7,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,009
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Schade
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a purse maker or furrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,190 Americans carry the last name Schade. That puts it at #8,623 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schade 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
4.2K
1 in 81,803
Census rank
#8,623
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,654 bearers of the surname Schade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8623rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schade, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schade
The surname Schade is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schade," meaning "damage" or "harm." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who caused harm or damage, or possibly for someone who had suffered harm or injury.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Schade surname can be found in the town of Marburg, Germany, in the 14th century. A document from 1347 mentions a "Johannes Schade" as a resident of the town. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records across Germany, including the town of Augsburg, where a "Hans Schade" is mentioned in a tax record from 1457. The spelling variations during this period included "Schaden," "Schad," and "Schadde."
The Schade surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Schadewald (meaning "damaged forest") and Schadeleben (meaning "damaged life"). These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.
One notable historical figure bearing the Schade surname was Johann Caspar Schade (1666-1698), a German poet and writer from Leipzig. He is known for his collection of poems titled "Poetische Überbleibsel" (Poetic Remains).
Another significant figure was Philipp Schade (1765-1822), a German philosopher and theologian from Mühlhausen. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and wrote extensively on topics such as religion, ethics, and education.
In the 19th century, Carl Schade (1814-1890) was a German musician and composer from Dresden. He is particularly known for his contributions to the field of church music and his compositions for organ.
During the same period, Friedrich Schade (1838-1907) was a German philologist and linguist from Quedlinburg. He specialized in the study of German and Old Saxon languages and authored several works on these subjects.
Lastly, Oskar Schade (1886-1971) was a German painter and graphic artist from Berlin. He was known for his landscape paintings and his involvement in the Expressionist movement in Germany.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Schade, illustrating its deep roots and presence in various fields across Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schade
Among Census respondents with the surname Schade, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Schade 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 Schade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,400
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 115
- Two or more races2.3% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schade
Schade 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
#8,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,958
-51 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 713 places
2020
#8,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,654
-304 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,652 | 4,009 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,365 | 3,958 | 1.34 | -51 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 713 places |
| 2020 | #8,623 | 3,654 | 1.22 | -304 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 258 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 Schade 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 | #8,365 | #8,623 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,958 | 3,654 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.22 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schade bearers went from 3,958 to 3,654 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 258 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,365 to #8,623.
FAQ
Schade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schade?
Name Census estimates that about 4,190 living Americans carry the surname Schade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,803 residents.
How common is Schade?
Schade ranks #8,623 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,654 people with the surname Schade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schade.
Has Schade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schade went from 3,958 recorded bearers to 3,654. That is a decrease of 304 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,365 to #8,623.
What does the Census say about the background of Schade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schade, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Schade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Schade (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 Schade mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a purse maker or furrier. 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 Schade (1.22 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 Schade?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.