2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schag
A German surname thought to derive from an archaic word for a type of grass.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Schag. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schag 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Schag in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schag, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schag
The surname SCHAG has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "scaha," which means "shaggy" or "unkempt," likely referring to someone with untidy hair or an unkempt appearance. The name was initially concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest documented references to the SCHAG surname can be found in the parish records of Augsburg, Bavaria, from the year 1552, where a certain Hans Schag was mentioned. The name also appeared in various town chronicles and local records from the 16th and 17th centuries across southern Germany.
In the 18th century, the SCHAG surname began to spread beyond its original geographical boundaries. Notable individuals bearing this name include Johann Michael Schag (1700-1772), a renowned German composer and organist who served at the Benedictine monastery in Weingarten, and Wilhelm Schag (1810-1889), a Bavarian politician and member of the Reichstag (German parliament) during the late 19th century.
During the 19th century, the SCHAG name also found its way into various parts of Europe and the Americas due to emigration. One such example is Friedrich Schag (1835-1912), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Schag Furniture Company in Chicago, Illinois.
Another notable figure was Karl Schag (1884-1962), an Austrian-born American painter and illustrator known for his distinctive "glamour girl" pinup art style. His works captured the spirit of the Jazz Age and became popular during the 1940s and 1950s.
In more recent times, the SCHAG surname has been carried by individuals like Hans-Joachim Schag (1924-2001), a German politician and member of the Bundestag (German parliament), and Fabian Schag (born 1985), a Swiss professional ice hockey player who has represented Switzerland in international competitions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schag
Among Census respondents with the surname Schag, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schag 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 Schag surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino14.2% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schag
Schag 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+9 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,992 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,992 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 Schag 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 | #148,347 | #152,339 | -2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 106 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schag bearers went from 111 to 106 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,992 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,339.
FAQ
Schag surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schag?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Schag. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Schag?
Schag ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Schag. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Schag.
Has Schag become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schag went from 111 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Schag?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schag, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Schag in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schag appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (14.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Schag (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 Schag mean?
A German surname thought to derive from an archaic word for a type of grass. 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 Schag (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 Americans have the surname Schag?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.