2000
#18,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Schenkel
A German surname meaning "shin" or "leg".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,000 Americans carry the last name Schenkel. That puts it at #16,059 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schenkel 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
2.0K
1 in 171,377
Census rank
#16,059
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,744 bearers of the surname Schenkel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16059th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schenkel
The surname SCHENKEL has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schenkel," which means "leg" or "shank." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for a person who made or sold garters, leggings, or other leg coverings.
The earliest known recorded instance of the SCHENKEL surname can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various German town records and chronicles. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where a "Johannes Schenkel" is listed as a resident of Berlin in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name SCHENKEL can be found in several legal documents and tax rolls from various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. These records often provide insights into the occupations and social status of individuals bearing the name.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the SCHENKEL surname continued to spread throughout German-speaking regions, with some variations in spelling, such as "Schenckel" and "Schenckell." One notable figure from this period was Konrad Schenkel (1480-1539), a German theologian and reformer from Esslingen am Neckar.
In the 17th century, the SCHENKEL name gained prominence in the arts and literature. Johann Eberhard Schenkel (1619-1683) was a German Baroque painter and engraver from Nuremberg, while Johannes Schenkel (1661-1718) was a noted German poet and playwright from Frankfurt am Main.
As the SCHENKEL surname spread across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. One notable figure from this period was Johann Jacob Schenkel (1798-1879), a German-American Lutheran minister who played a significant role in the establishment of the Lutheran Church in North America.
Other notable individuals bearing the SCHENKEL surname include Daniel Schenkel (1813-1885), a Swiss Protestant theologian and biblical scholar; and Gustav Schenkel (1857-1936), a German architect and urban planner who designed several landmark buildings in Frankfurt am Main.
Throughout its history, the SCHENKEL surname has been closely tied to its German roots and the occupations and professions associated with its original meaning. While the name has spread globally, its origins can be traced back to the medieval German regions where it first emerged as a distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schenkel
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schenkel 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 Schenkel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,604
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 68
- Two or more races2.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schenkel
Schenkel 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
#18,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,548
+192 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 684 places
2020
#16,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,744
+196 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 1,969 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,712 | 1,356 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,028 | 1,548 | 0.52 | +192 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 684 places |
| 2020 | #16,059 | 1,744 | 0.58 | +196 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 1,969 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 Schenkel 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 | #18,028 | #16,059 | 10.9% |
| Count | 1,548 | 1,744 | 12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.58 | 12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schenkel bearers went from 1,548 to 1,744 (+12.7% change). The surname moved up 1,969 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,028 to #16,059.
FAQ
Schenkel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schenkel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,000 living Americans carry the surname Schenkel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,377 residents.
How common is Schenkel?
Schenkel ranks #16,059 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,744 people with the surname Schenkel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schenkel.
Has Schenkel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schenkel went from 1,548 recorded bearers to 1,744. That is an increase of 196 (+12.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,028 to #16,059.
What does the Census say about the background of Schenkel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schenkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schenkel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schenkel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Schenkel (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 Schenkel mean?
A German surname meaning "shin" or "leg". 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 Schenkel (0.58 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 common is the surname Schenkel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Schenkel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.