2000
#12,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,280
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Schlenker
A German occupational surname referring to a person who moves in an irregular or swaying manner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,174 Americans carry the last name Schlenker. That puts it at #14,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlenker 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
2.2K
1 in 157,661
Census rank
#14,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,896 bearers of the surname Schlenker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlenker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlenker
The surname SCHLENKER has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "schlenker," which means "one who sways or staggers." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with an unsteady gait or a tendency to stagger.
The earliest known records of the SCHLENKER name date back to the 13th century, where it appears in various historical documents and manuscripts from various regions of Germany. One notable example is the mention of a Henricus Schlenker in a land registry from the town of Freiburg in 1287.
In the following centuries, the SCHLENKER name spread across different parts of Germany, with variations in spelling emerging over time. Some of these variations include Schlenkert, Schlenkher, and Schlenger. These variations often reflected regional dialect differences or the preferences of local scribes.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SCHLENKER surname was Johannes Schlenker, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century (born around 1450, died in 1518). Another notable figure was Hans Schlencker, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived in Saxony during the 16th century (born in 1495, died in 1568).
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the SCHLENKER name appeared in various records and documents across German-speaking regions. For example, a Johann Schlencker was mentioned as a landowner in a registry from the town of Büdingen in Hesse in 1672. Additionally, a Christoph Schlenker served as a town councilor in the city of Augsburg in the early 18th century (born in 1685, died in 1751).
Another notable figure with the SCHLENKER surname was Johann Friedrich Schlenker, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (born in 1759, died in 1831). He is known for his contributions to church music and his work as a teacher in various cities across Germany.
As the centuries progressed, the SCHLENKER name continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other German-speaking regions of Europe. While the surname was originally concentrated in specific areas, it gradually spread and became more widely dispersed due to migration and population movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlenker
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlenker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlenker 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 Schlenker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,766
- Two or more races3.0% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlenker
Schlenker 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
#11,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,796
+516 bearers (+22.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 1,185 places
2020
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
-900 bearers (-32.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 3,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,481 | 2,280 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,296 | 2,796 | 0.95 | +516 bearers (+22.6%) | Up 1,185 places |
| 2020 | #14,966 | 1,896 | 0.63 | -900 bearers (-32.2%) | Down 3,670 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 Schlenker 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 | #11,296 | #14,966 | -32.5% |
| Count | 2,796 | 1,896 | -32.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.63 | -33.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlenker bearers went from 2,796 to 1,896 (-32.2% change). The surname moved down 3,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,296 to #14,966.
FAQ
Schlenker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlenker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,174 living Americans carry the surname Schlenker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,661 residents.
How common is Schlenker?
Schlenker ranks #14,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,896 people with the surname Schlenker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Schlenker.
Has Schlenker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlenker went from 2,796 recorded bearers to 1,896. That is a decrease of 900 (-32.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,296 to #14,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlenker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlenker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Schlenker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlenker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Schlenker (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 Schlenker mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who moves in an irregular or swaying manner. 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 Schlenker (0.63 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 have the last name Schlenker?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Schlenker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.