2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schalau
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Schalau. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schalau 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Schalau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schalau
The surname SCHALAU originated in Germany, likely in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "schall," meaning "sound" or "echo," and the suffix "-au," denoting a meadow or open area. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an area where sounds easily echoed or carried.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHALAU surname can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Hesse, Germany, dated 1638. In these records, a child named Johann SCHALAU was baptized, indicating that the family had already established roots in the region by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the SCHALAU name appeared in various historical documents across central and northern Germany. For instance, in 1712, a Johann Friedrich SCHALAU was listed as a landowner in the village of Eisenach, while in 1789, a merchant named Hans SCHALAU was recorded as operating a successful business in the city of Leipzig.
As the centuries progressed, members of the SCHALAU family began to disperse throughout other parts of Europe and eventually across the globe. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Wilhelm SCHALAU (1826-1898), a German composer and musician who composed several operas and orchestral works during the Romantic era.
2. Annika SCHALAU (1858-1932), a Swedish painter known for her vibrant landscapes and portraits of rural life in Scandinavia.
3. Friedrich SCHALAU (1892-1972), a German soldier who served in both World War I and World War II, and later became a prominent advocate for veterans' rights.
4. Lilian SCHALAU (1920-2005), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the civil rights movement and the struggles of marginalized communities in the United States.
5. Markus SCHALAU (born 1975), a contemporary German architect renowned for his innovative designs and sustainable building practices.
While the SCHALAU surname may not be as widely recognized as some others, its rich history and diverse representation across various fields exemplify the cultural and geographical reach of this unique family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schalau
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schalau 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 Schalau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 7
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schalau
Schalau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-12 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 9,535 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 Schalau 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 | #145,220 | #154,755 | -6.6% |
| Count | 114 | 102 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schalau bearers went from 114 to 102 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 9,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,755.
FAQ
Schalau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schalau?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Schalau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Schalau?
Schalau ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Schalau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Schalau.
Has Schalau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schalau went from 114 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Schalau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalau, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Schalau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schalau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Schalau (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 Schalau mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Schalau (0.03 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 common is the surname Schalau?
Want to know how many people have the surname Schalau? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.