2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schaust
An occupational surname possibly derived from the German verb "schauen" meaning "to look" or "to inspect".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Schaust. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaust 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Schaust in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaust
The surname "SCHAUST" is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "schauer," which means "one who looks" or "one who gazes." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked as a watchman or a guard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SCHAUST" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In a document dated 1287, a man named Conradus Schaust is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. In a document from 1352, a merchant named Hans Schaust is listed as participating in a business transaction.
In the 15th century, the name "SCHAUST" was also found in the nearby region of Bavaria. A record from 1487 mentions a farmer named Jorg Schaust from the village of Amberg.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johann Schaust, a Protestant reformer who lived in the city of Wittenberg during the 16th century. Born in 1502, he was a follower of Martin Luther and played a role in the spread of the Reformation in Germany.
Another notable figure with the surname "SCHAUST" was Heinrich Schaust, a German philosopher and writer who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1624 in the city of Frankfurt, he is known for his work on moral philosophy and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 18th century, the name "SCHAUST" was found in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia. One prominent individual from this period was Karl Schaust, a German military officer who served in the army of Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
As the centuries passed, the surname "SCHAUST" continued to be present in various parts of Germany, with some bearers of the name emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. Despite its widespread distribution, the name remains relatively uncommon, reflecting its origins as a localized occupational surname from medieval times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaust
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaust 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 Schaust surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaust
Schaust 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-13 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,930 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 22,930 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Schaust 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaust bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Schaust surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaust?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Schaust. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Schaust?
Schaust ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Schaust. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Schaust.
Has Schaust become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaust went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaust?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaust, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Schaust in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaust appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Schaust (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 Schaust mean?
An occupational surname possibly derived from the German verb "schauen" meaning "to look" or "to inspect". 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 Schaust (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 Schaust?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Schaust at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.