Find out how popular the last name Schenck is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schenck.

Schenck, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schenck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schenck in America

Schenck is the 5568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schenck surname appeared 6,245 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Schenck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schenck to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schenck

The surname Schenck has its origins in the Low German language, derived from the word "schenke," which translates to "cupbearer" or "server of drinks." This name originated in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, during the Middle Ages.

The earliest known records of the Schenck name date back to the 13th century, with mentions in various historical documents from the Hanseatic League cities along the Baltic Sea coast. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Johannes Schenck, a merchant and alderman in the city of Lübeck, who lived around 1280.

In the 14th century, the Schenck family gained prominence as members of the nobility in the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Notably, Otto Schenck von Schweinsburg (1311-1368) was a prominent knight and military leader during the Danish-German wars of that era.

The Schenck name also appeared in the famous Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record mentions a landowner named Robertus Schenck in the county of Somerset, England, indicating the early spread of this surname beyond its German origins.

One of the most renowned individuals with the Schenck surname was Peter Schenck (1693-1776), a renowned Dutch-American settler and politician in the American colonies. He served as a member of the New York Provincial Assembly and was a prominent figure in the early development of New York City.

Another notable figure was Robert Cumming Schenck (1809-1890), an American Civil War general and diplomat who served as the United States Minister to both the United Kingdom and Brazil during the 19th century.

The Schenck name has also been associated with various places and geographical locations. For instance, the town of Schenck in the Netherlands derives its name from this surname, as does the Schenck Memorial Forest in New Jersey, United States.

Other prominent individuals with the Schenck surname include:

1. Michael Schenck (1541-1589), a German mathematician and astronomer.
2. Ferdinand Schenck zu Schweinsberg (1528-1598), a German noble and military leader during the Thirty Years' War.
3. Anna Schenck (1660-1732), a Dutch-American settler and landowner in New York.
4. Carl Alwin Schenck (1868-1955), a German-American forester and pioneer in the field of forest management.
5. Caspar Schenck (1642-1718), a German-American settler and landowner in New Jersey.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schenck

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schenck.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schenck was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schenck has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schenck was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schenck, please contact us.

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