2000
#11,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Schalk
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant, derived from the Middle Dutch "schalc".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,933 Americans carry the last name Schalk. That puts it at #11,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schalk 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
2.9K
1 in 116,861
Census rank
#11,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,558 bearers of the surname Schalk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schalk
The surname "SCHALK" originated in Germany and the Netherlands, where it was derived from the Middle Low German word "schalk", meaning "servant" or "knave". This name likely began as a nickname for someone who was considered mischievous or cunning.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with references found in various medieval records and chronicles. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis, a collection of documents related to the city of Lübeck, where a "Hermannus Schalk" is listed in 1277.
In the Netherlands, the name can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing variations such as "Schalck" and "Schalke". One of the earliest known bearers was Jan Schalck, a merchant from Amsterdam who lived in the late 1300s.
As the name spread across Germany and the Low Countries, it became associated with certain locales, leading to the formation of place names like Schalkhausen and Schalkenbach. These place names, in turn, influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname "SCHALK" throughout history. These include:
1. Adriaen van der Schalk (1610-1690), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes and portraits.
2. Johann Baptist von Schalk (1735-1809), an Austrian composer and organist who served as Kapellmeister at the court of Vienna.
3. Ferdinand Schalk (1825-1900), a German philologist and classical scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.
4. Franz Schalk (1863-1931), an Austrian conductor and composer who served as the director of the Vienna State Opera from 1918 to 1924.
5. Kurt Schalk (1923-2009), a German actor and voice actor best known for his work in radio plays and dubbing foreign films into German.
While the surname "SCHALK" has its roots in the Middle Ages, it continues to be used in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, carrying on a rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schalk
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schalk 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 Schalk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,386
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 69
- Two or more races2.4% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schalk
Schalk 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
#10,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
+352 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 393 places
2020
#11,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-358 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 803 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,307 | 2,564 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,914 | 2,916 | 0.99 | +352 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 393 places |
| 2020 | #11,717 | 2,558 | 0.86 | -358 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 803 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 Schalk 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 | #10,914 | #11,717 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,916 | 2,558 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.86 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schalk bearers went from 2,916 to 2,558 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 803 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,914 to #11,717.
FAQ
Schalk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schalk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,933 living Americans carry the surname Schalk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,861 residents.
How common is Schalk?
Schalk ranks #11,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,558 people with the surname Schalk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Schalk.
Has Schalk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schalk went from 2,916 recorded bearers to 2,558. That is a decrease of 358 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,914 to #11,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Schalk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Schalk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schalk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Schalk (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 Schalk mean?
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant, derived from the Middle Dutch "schalc". 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 Schalk (0.86 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 Schalk?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.