2000
#100,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Schnuck
A German surname derived from the word "schnucke" meaning a cute person or darling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 205 Americans carry the last name Schnuck. That puts it at #106,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,671,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnuck 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
205
1 in 1,671,972
Census rank
#106,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
179
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 179 bearers of the surname Schnuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 106101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnuck
The surname Schnuck originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "snucke," which means "a point" or "a sharp end." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with pointed or sharp objects, such as a blacksmith or a fletcher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schnuck can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Schnuck was mentioned in a document dated 1412. Another early reference is in the records of the city of Ulm, where a Konrad Schnuck was listed as a resident in 1437.
In the 16th century, the name Schnuck appeared in various Germanic regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. During this period, the spelling of the name varied, with variations such as Schnock, Schnockh, and Schnucke being recorded.
One notable individual with the surname Schnuck was Johann Schnuck (1592-1667), a German theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Jena from 1645 to 1667. Another was Peter Schnuck (1681-1747), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Elector of Bavaria.
In the 18th century, the name Schnuck was found in various German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. One individual of note was Johann Georg Schnuck (1720-1788), a German politician and jurist who served as the mayor of the city of Kassel from 1769 to 1788.
As the 19th century dawned, the Schnuck surname continued to be prevalent in Germany and surrounding areas. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Schnuck (1809-1879), a German painter and art professor who taught at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin.
Another individual of significance was Karl Schnuck (1845-1919), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Schnuck Machinery Company in Stuttgart, which became a leading manufacturer of industrial equipment and machinery in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnuck 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 Schnuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 165
- Two or more races4.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnuck
Schnuck 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-30 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 25,088 places
2020
#106,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
+42 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 19,181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #100,194 | 167 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -30 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 25,088 places |
| 2020 | #106,101 | 179 | 0.06 | +42 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 19,181 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 Schnuck 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 | #125,282 | #106,101 | 15.3% |
| Count | 137 | 179 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnuck bearers went from 137 to 179 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 19,181 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #106,101.
FAQ
Schnuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnuck?
Name Census estimates that about 205 living Americans carry the surname Schnuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,671,972 residents.
How common is Schnuck?
Schnuck ranks #106,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 179 people with the surname Schnuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Schnuck.
Has Schnuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnuck went from 137 recorded bearers to 179. That is an increase of 42 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #125,282 to #106,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Schnuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Schnuck (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 Schnuck mean?
A German surname derived from the word "schnucke" meaning a cute person or darling. 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 Schnuck (0.06 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 are called Schnuck?
You can see how common the surname Schnuck is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.