2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schalck
A surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "servant" or "squire".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Schalck. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schalck 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Schalck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schalck
The surname Schalck originated from the Low German region encompassing parts of modern-day northwestern Germany and the Netherlands in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle Low German word "schalck," meaning a cunning or sly person, potentially referring to someone with these perceived personality traits or used as a nickname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1282, when a certain Henricus Schalck was mentioned in the annals of the city of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic trading hub in northern Germany. This suggests the name may have emerged from the urban mercantile class during this era.
In the 14th century, the Schalck name appeared in various documents and records across the Low Countries, such as the 1365 census of Bruges, where a Gillisz Schalck was listed. This indicates the surname had spread to the Flemish region of modern-day Belgium by this time.
A notable early bearer of the name was Hendrick Schalck, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1627 in Dordrecht, known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life. His works can be found in museums across Europe and North America.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variants of the surname emerged, including Schalk, Schalke, and Schalckx, reflecting regional linguistic differences and spelling variations common in that period. For example, Petrus Schalcken (1643-1708) was a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter from Dordrecht, known for his candlelight scenes and portraits.
Another prominent figure was Johann Schalck (1611-1667), a German composer and organist active in the Imperial Free City of Nuremberg, whose works contributed to the development of the Lutheran sacred concerto style.
In England, the Schalck surname is believed to have arrived with Flemish and Dutch Protestant immigrants in the 16th and 17th centuries, often spelled as Shalk or Chalk. One such individual was John Shalk (1587-1637), an English mathematician and astronomer who served as the first Astronomer Royal appointed by King Charles I.
While the Schalck name has its origins in the Low German-speaking regions, it has since spread across various parts of Europe and beyond, reflecting the mobility and migrations of people over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schalck
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schalck 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 Schalck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 105
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schalck
Schalck 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-8 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,708 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 15,708 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 59 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 Schalck 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 | #142,108 | #142,049 | 0.0% |
| Count | 117 | 120 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schalck bearers went from 117 to 120 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,049.
FAQ
Schalck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schalck?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Schalck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Schalck?
Schalck ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Schalck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Schalck.
Has Schalck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schalck went from 117 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Schalck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Schalck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schalck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Schalck (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 Schalck mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "servant" or "squire". 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 Schalck (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 are called Schalck?
Want to know how many people are called Schalck? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.