2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schlang
A German habitational name for someone from a place called Schlangen, from Middle High German slange meaning "snake".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Schlang. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlang 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Schlang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlang, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlang
The surname "SCHLANG" is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. Its roots can be traced back to the Old German word "slange," which translates to "snake" or "serpent." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupational reference for someone associated with snakes, perhaps a snake handler or someone known for snake-like qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the village records of Schlangendorf, a small hamlet in present-day Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. The name Schlangendorf itself translates to "Snake Village," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its reptilian origins.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Schlang was Johann Michael Schlang, a German scholar and theologian born in 1604 in Nuremberg. He authored several works on theology and religious philosophy, earning a reputation as a learned and influential thinker of his time.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Carl Schlang, a 19th-century German artist born in 1828 in Berlin. He was known for his landscape paintings, many of which depicted the picturesque German countryside and the rugged beauty of the Alps.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the legacy of Hans Schlang, a German-American engineer born in 1890 in Munich. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and became a pioneer in the field of automotive engineering, contributing significantly to the development of early automobile designs and safety features.
Across the Atlantic, the name Schlang also found its way into the historical records of the United States. One notable example is that of Frederick Schlang, a German immigrant who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was born in 1841 in Prussia and fought bravely in several major battles, earning recognition for his valor and service to the Union cause.
While the surname Schlang may not be among the most common or widely recognized, its history and origins are deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Central Europe, carrying with it the echoes of a time when names were often derived from the natural world or occupational associations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlang
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlang, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlang 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 Schlang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 101
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlang
Schlang 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-12 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,794 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 18,794 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 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 Schlang 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 | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlang bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Schlang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlang?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Schlang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Schlang?
Schlang ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Schlang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Schlang.
Has Schlang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlang went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlang, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Schlang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Black (3.5%). 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 Schlang (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 Schlang mean?
A German habitational name for someone from a place called Schlangen, from Middle High German slange meaning "snake". 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 Schlang (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 many Americans have the surname Schlang?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.