2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schnug
A German surname possibly derived from a nickname referring to someone with a small, delicate nose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Schnug. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnug 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Schnug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnug, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnug
The surname Schnug originated in the German region of Saxony during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Low German word "schnugge," which means "pointed" or "sharp," likely referring to a geographical feature or a person's distinctive physical characteristic. The earliest recorded spelling variations of the name include Schnuge, Schnugge, and Schnugg.
One of the earliest known references to the Schnug name can be found in the town records of Zwickau, a city in Saxony, where a Hans Schnug was mentioned in 1428. Another notable early record is from 1512, when a Konrad Schnug was listed as a resident of Leipzig, another city in Saxony.
In the 16th century, the Schnug family seemed to have spread across various parts of Germany. For instance, a Johann Schnug was born in Nuremberg in 1534 and became a prominent merchant in the city. Additionally, a Christoph Schnug, born in 1567 in Magdeburg, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor during the Renaissance period.
During the 17th century, the name Schnug appeared in several historical records from different regions. One notable example is Hans Schnug, a farmer from the village of Oberndorf in Bavaria, who was mentioned in the local tax records of 1628. Another prominent figure was Katharina Schnug, a midwife from Görlitz in Saxony, who was known for her exceptional skills and dedicated service to the community in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Schnug name continued to be found across Germany. One remarkable individual was Johann Friedrich Schnug, born in 1723 in Weimar, who was a highly respected scholar and linguist. He authored several influential works on German language and literature.
As the name spread further, it also became associated with various place names, such as Schnuggen, a small village near Bonn, and Schnuggenbach, a stream in Bavaria. While the Schnug surname is not as common as some other German names, it has left its mark on the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnug
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnug, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Schnug 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 Schnug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnug
Schnug 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
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,413 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 Schnug 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 | #142,788 | 2.3% |
| Count | 113 | 119 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnug bearers went from 113 to 119 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,788.
FAQ
Schnug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnug?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Schnug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Schnug?
Schnug ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Schnug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Schnug.
Has Schnug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnug went from 113 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnug, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Schnug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Schnug (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 Schnug mean?
A German surname possibly derived from a nickname referring to someone with a small, delicate nose. 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 Schnug (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 have the surname Schnug?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.