2000
#5,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,885
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Schick
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a messenger or a ship's purser.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,296 Americans carry the last name Schick. That puts it at #6,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schick 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
6.3K
1 in 54,440
Census rank
#6,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,490 bearers of the surname Schick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schick
The surname SCHICK originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schicken," which means "to arrange" or "to order." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a steward or overseer, responsible for managing affairs and organizing tasks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHICK surname can be found in the town of Schickendanz, located in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town's name, which translates to "dance of the orderly ones," likely refers to the organized nature of its inhabitants or a group of people who were known for their orderly conduct.
In the 17th century, records show a SCHICK family residing in the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and cultural activity during the Renaissance period. Johann Schick (1615-1677), a renowned artist and engraver, was born in Nuremberg and gained fame for his intricate copperplate engravings depicting biblical scenes and landscapes.
Moving into the 18th century, the SCHICK surname appears in various historical documents across German-speaking regions. One notable figure was Johann Friedrich Schick (1753-1823), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and served as a pastor in Saxony.
In the 19th century, the SCHICK name gained prominence in the field of medicine with the birth of Kaspar Schick (1866-1937), an Austrian pediatrician best known for developing the Schick Test, a diagnostic tool used to determine susceptibility to diphtheria. His groundbreaking work contributed significantly to the understanding and prevention of this deadly disease.
Another influential SCHICK from this era was Walter Schick (1887-1939), a German architect and urban planner who played a crucial role in the development of modern housing concepts and urban design principles. His innovative ideas and designs, particularly in the field of social housing, left a lasting impact on the architectural landscape of Germany.
As the SCHICK name spread throughout Europe and beyond, it was also associated with notable individuals in various fields, such as Johann Schick (1753-1813), a German composer and violinist who contributed to the classical music tradition, and Godefroy Schick (1833-1890), a Belgian painter known for his landscapes and historical scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schick
Among Census respondents with the surname Schick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schick 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 Schick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 5,087
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 172
- Two or more races2.9% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 34
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schick
Schick 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
#5,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,967
+82 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#6,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,490
-477 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,437 | 5,885 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,801 | 5,967 | 2.02 | +82 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #6,024 | 5,490 | 1.84 | -477 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 223 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 Schick 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 | #5,801 | #6,024 | -3.8% |
| Count | 5,967 | 5,490 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.84 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schick bearers went from 5,967 to 5,490 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 223 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,801 to #6,024.
FAQ
Schick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schick?
Name Census estimates that about 6,296 living Americans carry the surname Schick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,440 residents.
How common is Schick?
Schick ranks #6,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 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 5,490 people with the surname Schick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 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 Schick.
Has Schick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schick went from 5,967 recorded bearers to 5,490. That is a decrease of 477 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,801 to #6,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Schick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Schick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (5,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Schick (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 Schick mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a messenger or a ship's purser. 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 Schick (1.84 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 Schick?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Schick at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.