2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schnatter
A German surname referring to someone who stutters or chatters rapidly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Schnatter. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnatter 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Schnatter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnatter
The surname SCHNATTER originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval or early modern period. It is believed to be derived from the German word "schnattern," which means "to chatter" or "to talk rapidly." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied as a nickname to someone who was talkative or had a tendency to chatter excessively.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHNATTER surname can be found in the German state of Bavaria, where it appears in records dating back to the 16th century. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled differently, such as "Schnatter" or "Schnader," reflecting regional variations in dialect and pronunciation.
In the 17th century, the SCHNATTER name appears in historical records from the Palatinate region of Germany, which was a major source of emigration to the American colonies. This suggests that some early bearers of the SCHNATTER name may have been among the German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and other parts of the United States during this period.
Notable historical figures with the SCHNATTER surname include Johann Schnatter, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 17th century and was known for his contributions to the development of baroque music. Another prominent individual was Katharina Schnatter, a German artist and illustrator from the 19th century, whose works are held in several museums and galleries across Europe.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the SCHNATTER surname was John Schnatter, an American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Papa John's pizza chain in 1984. He served as the company's CEO and public face for many years, becoming a prominent figure in the restaurant industry.
Other notable individuals with the SCHNATTER surname include Hans Schnatter, a German politician and member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) in the 1960s and 1970s, and Friedrich Schnatter, a German author and historian who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the Palatinate region in the late 19th century.
While the SCHNATTER name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through emigration and migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions, where it likely emerged as a nickname for a talkative or chattering individual during the late medieval or early modern period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnatter
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnatter 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 Schnatter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnatter
Schnatter 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,524 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,524 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,986 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 Schnatter 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 | #158,432 | #149,446 | 5.7% |
| Count | 102 | 110 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnatter bearers went from 102 to 110 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #149,446.
FAQ
Schnatter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnatter?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Schnatter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Schnatter?
Schnatter ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Schnatter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Schnatter.
Has Schnatter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnatter went from 102 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnatter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Schnatter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnatter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Schnatter (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 Schnatter mean?
A German surname referring to someone who stutters or chatters rapidly. 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 Schnatter (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 Schnatter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.