2000
#107,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Schallenberg
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Schallenberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 154 Americans carry the last name Schallenberg. That puts it at #131,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,225,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schallenberg 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
154
1 in 2,225,678
Census rank
#131,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
134
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 134 bearers of the surname Schallenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 131805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schallenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schallenberg
The surname Schallenberg originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. The name likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name Schallenberg is derived from the German words "schall" meaning "sound" or "echo," and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." It is believed that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a place where sounds echoed, such as a valley surrounded by hills or mountains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schallenberg can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in various other medieval records and manuscripts from various German-speaking regions.
In the 14th century, there are records of a nobleman named Johann von Schallenberg, who was a prominent figure in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. Another notable individual with this surname was Hans Schallenberg, a 16th-century merchant and banker from Nuremberg, who played a significant role in the city's economic and cultural life.
During the 17th century, the Schallenberg family established themselves as landowners and nobility in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. One member of this family, Count Friedrich von Schallenberg, served as a diplomat and military commander in the service of the Habsburg Empire during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Schallenberg was the Austrian painter and lithographer Johann Baptist Schallenberg (1810-1879), known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Austrian Alps.
Another notable individual was the German jurist and legal scholar Karl Friedrich Schallenberg (1825-1894), who made significant contributions to the development of German civil law.
Throughout history, the surname Schallenberg has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as the town of Schallenberg in Bavaria, Germany, and the Schallenberg mountain range in the Austrian Alps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schallenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Schallenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schallenberg 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 Schallenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 7
- Two or more races2.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schallenberg
Schallenberg 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
-5 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,791 places
2020
#131,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-15 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,976 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,038 | 154 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | -5 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 9,791 places |
| 2020 | #131,805 | 134 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 14,976 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 Schallenberg 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 | #116,829 | #131,805 | -12.8% |
| Count | 149 | 134 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schallenberg bearers went from 149 to 134 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 14,976 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #131,805.
FAQ
Schallenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schallenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 154 living Americans carry the surname Schallenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,225,678 residents.
How common is Schallenberg?
Schallenberg ranks #131,805 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 134 people with the surname Schallenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (154), 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 Schallenberg.
Has Schallenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schallenberg went from 149 recorded bearers to 134. That is a decrease of 15 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #131,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Schallenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schallenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schallenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schallenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schallenberg (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 Schallenberg mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from a place called Schallenberg. 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 Schallenberg (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 share the surname Schallenberg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.