2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schnitkey
One translating to "baker" or "miller" from the German "Schnitt" (cutting) and "Küche" (kitchen).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Schnitkey. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnitkey 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Schnitkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnitkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnitkey
The surname SCHNITKEY is of German origin and dates back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria, where it was derived from the occupational name "Schnitter" or "Schnittker," which referred to a person who harvested crops or a reaper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SCHNITKEY can be found in the church records of the town of Freiberg, Saxony, where a certain Hans Schnittker was mentioned in 1528. The name also appears in various tax and land records from the 16th and 17th centuries in the surrounding areas.
In the late 17th century, the spelling variation "Schnitkey" became more prevalent, particularly in the regions of Silesia and East Prussia. This spelling variation is thought to have emerged due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
Throughout history, the SCHNITKEY surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Johann Schnitkey (1605-1672), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and wrote several religious treatises.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Schnitkey (1789-1856), a Prussian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.
In the 19th century, the SCHNITKEY name was also found in the United States, with some families immigrating from Germany. One prominent individual was August Schnitkey (1836-1904), a German-American artist and painter who settled in New York City and became known for his landscapes and genre paintings.
The surname SCHNITKEY can also be traced to other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, where variations like "Schnittker" and "Snittker" were used. In the Netherlands, for example, a notable bearer of the name was Pieter Snittker (1710-1786), a Dutch merchant and ship owner who was active in the East Indies trade.
While the SCHNITKEY surname is not among the most common surnames globally, it has left its mark on history through various individuals who have contributed to various fields, including religion, politics, art, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnitkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnitkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnitkey 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 Schnitkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnitkey
Schnitkey 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,444 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-7 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,444 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 6,138 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 Schnitkey 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 | #146,201 | #152,339 | -4.2% |
| Count | 113 | 106 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnitkey bearers went from 113 to 106 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 6,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,339.
FAQ
Schnitkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnitkey?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Schnitkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Schnitkey?
Schnitkey ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Schnitkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Schnitkey.
Has Schnitkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnitkey went from 113 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnitkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnitkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Schnitkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnitkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Schnitkey (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 Schnitkey mean?
One translating to "baker" or "miller" from the German "Schnitt" (cutting) and "Küche" (kitchen). 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 Schnitkey (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 people share the surname Schnitkey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.