2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schaenzer
A German surname meaning tavern-keeper or innkeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Schaenzer. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaenzer 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Schaenzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaenzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaenzer
The surname SCHAENZER is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "schanz," meaning "rampart" or "fortification," which suggests that the name may have been initially applied to someone who lived near or worked on a fortified structure.
The earliest recorded instance of the SCHAENZER surname dates back to the late 13th century in the town of Nürnberg, where a record from 1287 mentions a certain "Ulrich Schanzere." This spelling variation is believed to be one of the earliest forms of the modern SCHAENZER name.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records from the region, including the Stadtbuch von Augsburg (City Book of Augsburg), where a "Hans Schanzer" is mentioned in an entry from 1365. This suggests that the name had spread to other cities in Bavaria by this time.
One notable historical figure bearing the SCHAENZER surname was Johann Schaenzer (1492-1558), a German humanist scholar and educator from Nürnberg. He was known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his efforts to promote educational reforms during the Renaissance era.
Another individual of note was Georg Schaenzer (1610-1672), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the SCHAENZER name was Johann Jakob Schaenzer (1720-1786), a German jurist and legal scholar who was a professor of law at the University of Göttingen and served as a judge in the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court) in Wetzlar.
The 19th century saw the birth of Wilhelm Schaenzer (1840-1908), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Schaenzer Maschinenfabrik, a successful machinery manufacturing company based in Augsburg.
Another notable figure was Theodor Schaenzer (1889-1961), a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the reconstruction efforts in Munich after World War II, helping to shape the city's post-war urban landscape.
Throughout its history, the SCHAENZER surname has been associated with various professions, from scholars and artists to lawyers and industrialists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaenzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaenzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaenzer 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 Schaenzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaenzer
Schaenzer 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,507 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,507 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 5,966 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 Schaenzer 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 | #138,304 | #144,270 | -4.3% |
| Count | 121 | 117 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaenzer bearers went from 121 to 117 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 5,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #144,270.
FAQ
Schaenzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaenzer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Schaenzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Schaenzer?
Schaenzer ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Schaenzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Schaenzer.
Has Schaenzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaenzer went from 121 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaenzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaenzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Schaenzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaenzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Schaenzer (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 Schaenzer mean?
A German surname meaning tavern-keeper or innkeeper. 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 Schaenzer (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 have the last name Schaenzer?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Schaenzer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.