2000
#29,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Schnarr
A surname derived from a German word meaning "to snore".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 823 Americans carry the last name Schnarr. That puts it at #34,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 416,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnarr 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
823
1 in 416,469
Census rank
#34,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
718
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 718 bearers of the surname Schnarr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnarr
The surname SCHNARR originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "snarren," which means "to rattle" or "to snore." This suggests that the name was likely given as a nickname to someone who snored loudly or made rattling noises.
The earliest recorded instance of the name SCHNARR appears in a manuscript from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1376. The record mentions a merchant named Hans Schnarr, who was involved in the local trade guild. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 16th century, the SCHNARR name can be found in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany. This area, located along the Rhine River, was known for its vineyards and wine production. It is possible that some members of the SCHNARR family were involved in this industry.
One notable individual with the SCHNARR surname was Johann Schnarr, a Lutheran theologian who lived from 1592 to 1661. He was born in the town of Schwäbisch Hall and later became a professor at the University of Tübingen, where he taught biblical studies and Hebrew.
Another historical figure was Catharina Schnarr, a German immigrant to the American colonies in the 18th century. She was born in 1712 in the town of Langenbach and arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732. Catharina and her husband, Johannes Schnarr, were among the early German settlers in the region.
In the 19th century, the SCHNARR name appeared in various parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One example is Friedrich Schnarr, a German artist born in 1835 in the town of Heilbronn. He specialized in landscape paintings and is known for his depictions of the Black Forest region.
The name SCHNARR can also be found in historical records from Switzerland and Austria, suggesting that it spread beyond the borders of Germany over time. However, its origins and earliest documented instances can be traced back to the German territories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnarr
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnarr 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 Schnarr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 664
- Two or more races3.5% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 17
- Black or African American1.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnarr
Schnarr 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
#30,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 773
+3 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 1,261 places
2020
#34,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 718
-55 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 3,780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,016 | 770 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,277 | 773 | 0.26 | +3 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 1,261 places |
| 2020 | #34,057 | 718 | 0.24 | -55 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 3,780 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 Schnarr 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 | #30,277 | #34,057 | -12.5% |
| Count | 773 | 718 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.24 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnarr bearers went from 773 to 718 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 3,780 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,277 to #34,057.
FAQ
Schnarr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnarr?
Name Census estimates that about 823 living Americans carry the surname Schnarr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 416,469 residents.
How common is Schnarr?
Schnarr ranks #34,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 718 people with the surname Schnarr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Schnarr.
Has Schnarr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnarr went from 773 recorded bearers to 718. That is a decrease of 55 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,277 to #34,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnarr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnarr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schnarr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (664 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnarr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schnarr (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 Schnarr mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "to snore". 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 Schnarr (0.24 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 Schnarr?
Find out how many people have the surname Schnarr on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.