2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schmanke
A surname of German origin indicating a thin or slender person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Schmanke. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schmanke 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Schmanke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schmanke
The surname "SCHMANKE" is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to have derived from the German word "schmanken," which means "to sway" or "to stagger." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who walked with a particular gait or had a distinctive way of moving.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname "SCHMANKE" can be found in the records of the town of Halle, located in the present-day German state of Saxony-Anhalt. These records, dating from the late 1500s, mention a family with the name "Schmanke" residing in the area.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name "SCHMANKE" appears to have spread to other regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Schmanke (1625-1701), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Pomerania, and Hans Schmanke (1698-1762), a merchant and landowner from Mecklenburg.
As German immigration to other parts of Europe and the Americas increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname "SCHMANKE" began to appear in various records and documents outside of Germany. For instance, Carl Schmanke (1815-1892), a Prussian-born businessman, settled in the United States and established a successful brewing company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other notable historical figures with the surname "SCHMANKE" include Friederike Schmanke (1848-1923), a German educator and advocate for women's rights, and Wilhelm Schmanke (1880-1945), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party during the Weimar Republic era.
It is worth noting that the surname "SCHMANKE" has also experienced variations in spelling over time, such as "Schmahnke" and "Schmancke," which may reflect regional dialects or individual preferences in different parts of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schmanke
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schmanke 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 Schmanke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 98
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schmanke
Schmanke 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 363 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 Schmanke 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 | #154,907 | #155,270 | -0.2% |
| Count | 105 | 101 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schmanke bearers went from 105 to 101 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,270.
FAQ
Schmanke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schmanke?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Schmanke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Schmanke?
Schmanke ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Schmanke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Schmanke.
Has Schmanke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schmanke went from 105 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schmanke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Schmanke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schmanke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Schmanke (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 Schmanke mean?
A surname of German origin indicating a thin or slender person. 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 Schmanke (0.03 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 Schmanke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.