2000
#33,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 647
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Schlink
A German surname derived from a location name or an occupation related to binding or tying.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 733 Americans carry the last name Schlink. That puts it at #37,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 467,605 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schlink 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
733
1 in 467,605
Census rank
#37,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
639
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 639 bearers of the surname Schlink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlink, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schlink
The surname SCHLINK originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "schlingen," which means "to twist" or "to coil." This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations related to rope-making, weaving, or similar crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHLINK surname can be found in the records of the town of Halle, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In 1587, a man named Hans SCHLINK was listed as a resident of the town, indicating that the name was already well-established by that time.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the SCHLINK name continued to appear in various German regions, particularly in the states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Johann Friedrich SCHLINK (1753-1825), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
2. Friedrich Wilhelm SCHLINK (1789-1861), a German philologist and educator who taught at the University of Berlin.
3. Edmund SCHLINK (1903-1984), a German Lutheran theologian and a leading figure in the Confessing Church movement during the Nazi era.
The SCHLINK surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Schlinkwitz (a village in Saxony) and Schlinkstedt (a municipality in Thuringia). These place names may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
In the 19th century, some individuals with the SCHLINK surname emigrated from Germany to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was:
4. Wilhelm SCHLINK (1855-1929), a German-American entrepreneur who founded the Schlink Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri.
Another significant individual bearing the SCHLINK name was:
5. Bernhard SCHLINK (born 1944), a German lawyer, professor, and author best known for his novel "The Reader," which was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film.
While the SCHLINK surname is relatively uncommon compared to some other German surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including academia, theology, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schlink
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlink, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schlink 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 Schlink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 27
- Two or more races3.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schlink
Schlink 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
#32,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 696
+49 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 357 places
2020
#37,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 639
-57 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,292 | 647 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,935 | 696 | 0.24 | +49 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 357 places |
| 2020 | #37,449 | 639 | 0.21 | -57 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 4,514 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 Schlink 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 | #32,935 | #37,449 | -13.7% |
| Count | 696 | 639 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.21 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schlink bearers went from 696 to 639 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 4,514 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,935 to #37,449.
FAQ
Schlink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schlink?
Name Census estimates that about 733 living Americans carry the surname Schlink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 467,605 residents.
How common is Schlink?
Schlink ranks #37,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 639 people with the surname Schlink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Schlink.
Has Schlink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schlink went from 696 recorded bearers to 639. That is a decrease of 57 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,935 to #37,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Schlink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schlink, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Schlink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schlink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Schlink (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 Schlink mean?
A German surname derived from a location name or an occupation related to binding or tying. 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 Schlink (0.21 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 share the surname Schlink?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.