2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schay
German surname tracing ancestry to the Alsace region, potentially indicating a baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Schay. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schay 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Schay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schay
The surname SCHAY originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "schaye," which referred to a thicket or a dense growth of bushes. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or worked in such areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHAY surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Lusatiae Superioris, a collection of historical documents from Upper Lusatia, a region that spans parts of modern-day Germany and Poland. In this collection, a certain "Henricus Schaye" is mentioned in a document dated 1287.
During the Middle Ages, the SCHAY name appeared sporadically in various records across German-speaking regions. For instance, a "Johann Schay" was documented in the city of Nuremberg in 1412, while a "Ulrich Schaye" was recorded in the town of Büdingen, in present-day Hesse, in 1489.
In the 16th century, the SCHAY surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann Schay (1528-1594), a German humanist and educator who served as the rector of the Gymnasium Illustre in Weißenburg, Bavaria. Another notable figure with this surname was Johann Matthias Schay (1670-1721), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Würzburg.
As the SCHAY name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Schaye, Schey, and Scheye. One of the earliest recorded instances of this variation can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, which mentions a "Willelmus de Scheye" in Lincolnshire, England.
In the 18th century, the SCHAY surname was also present in the Netherlands, with the birth of Jan Schay (1746-1817), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and cityscapes. Another notable figure was Theodor Schay (1802-1877), a German-born American musician and composer who settled in New York City.
As time progressed, the SCHAY name continued to spread across various regions, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields, such as science, literature, and the arts. Some notable examples include the German botanist Johannes Schay (1817-1890), the Austrian painter Carl Schay (1846-1904), and the American author and journalist David Schay (1907-1980).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schay
Among Census respondents with the surname Schay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schay 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 Schay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schay
Schay 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-12 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 10,041 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 Schay 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 | #144,141 | #154,182 | -7.0% |
| Count | 115 | 103 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schay bearers went from 115 to 103 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,182.
FAQ
Schay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schay?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Schay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Schay?
Schay ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Schay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Schay.
Has Schay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schay went from 115 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Schay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Schay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (6.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Schay (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 Schay mean?
German surname tracing ancestry to the Alsace region, potentially indicating a baker. 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 Schay (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 many Americans have the surname Schay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.