2000
#5,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Schenck
A German occupational surname referring to a cupbearer, steward, or wine server.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,620 Americans carry the last name Schenck. That puts it at #5,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,776 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schenck 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
6.6K
1 in 51,776
Census rank
#5,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,773 bearers of the surname Schenck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest known records of the Schenck name date back to the 13th century, with mentions in various historical documents from the Hanseatic League cities along the Baltic Sea coast.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schenck
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schenck 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 Schenck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 4,878
- Black or African American7.2% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 215
- Two or more races3.3% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schenck
Schenck 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
#5,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,245
+229 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#5,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,773
-472 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,333 | 6,016 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,568 | 6,245 | 2.12 | +229 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #5,782 | 5,773 | 1.93 | -472 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 214 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 Schenck 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 | #5,568 | #5,782 | -3.8% |
| Count | 6,245 | 5,773 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.93 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schenck bearers went from 6,245 to 5,773 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,568 to #5,782.
FAQ
Schenck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schenck?
Name Census estimates that about 6,620 living Americans carry the surname Schenck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,776 residents.
How common is Schenck?
Schenck ranks #5,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,773 people with the surname Schenck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Schenck.
Has Schenck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schenck went from 6,245 recorded bearers to 5,773. That is a decrease of 472 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,568 to #5,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Schenck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Schenck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (4,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schenck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.2%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Schenck (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 Schenck mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a cupbearer, steward, or wine server. 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 Schenck (1.93 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 Schenck?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Schenck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.