2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Schlafman
A surname of German origin meaning "sleeper" or "one who sleeps".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Schlafman. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlafman 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Schlafman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlafman
The surname Schlafman is of German origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "schlafen," meaning "to sleep," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or profession. The name likely referred to someone who slept excessively or worked as a night watchman, whose job involved sleeping during the day.
The earliest recorded instance of the Schlafman surname can be found in the records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, located in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. The name was also found in various other regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony, during the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname Schlafman was Johann Schlafman, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1620 to 1685. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another individual of note was Hans Schlafman, a German architect who lived from 1678 to 1752. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city of Dresden, including the famous Frauenkirche, which was later destroyed during World War II and subsequently rebuilt.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Wilhelm Schlafman (1822-1896) was a German businessman and industrialist. He founded a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Aachen, which employed thousands of workers and played a significant role in the region's economic development.
The Schlafman surname also appeared in various historical records and manuscripts throughout Europe, including the parish registers of several German towns and villages. However, it does not seem to have been included in any major historical works such as the Domesday Book or other medieval records.
While the Schlafman name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, the details and historical context of the name's origins and early usage remain firmly rooted in the German-speaking regions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlafman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlafman 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 Schlafman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlafman
Schlafman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+15 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 14,162 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 Schlafman 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 | #158,432 | #144,270 | 8.9% |
| Count | 102 | 117 | 14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlafman bearers went from 102 to 117 (+14.7% change). The surname moved up 14,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #144,270.
FAQ
Schlafman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlafman?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Schlafman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Schlafman?
Schlafman ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Schlafman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Schlafman.
Has Schlafman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlafman went from 102 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 15 (+14.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlafman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Schlafman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlafman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Schlafman (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 Schlafman mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "sleeper" or "one who sleeps". 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 Schlafman (0.04 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 Schlafman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Schlafman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.