2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schnurman
A German surname derived from "Schnur" meaning cord or string, likely referring to an occupation related to rope-making or cording.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Schnurman. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnurman 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Schnurman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnurman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnurman
The surname Schnurman is of German origin, originating in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is derived from the German words "schnur" meaning "cord" or "string" and "mann" meaning "man," suggesting an occupational name for someone who worked with cords or ropes, such as a ropemaker or a sailor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schnurman can be found in the Kirchenbuch (church records) of the town of Wittenberg, Germany, from the year 1572, where a person named Hans Schnurman was mentioned. Another early reference is in the Bürgerbuch (citizen register) of the city of Nürnberg from 1598, which lists a certain Joachim Schnurman as a resident.
In the 17th century, the name Schnurman appeared in various records across Germany, including the Kirchenbuch of Celle in Lower Saxony, where a Johannes Schnurman was baptized in 1627. Around the same time, a Hans Schnurman was recorded as a resident of the town of Oberkirchen in Hesse in 1637.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Schnurman was Johann Schnurman, a merchant and burgher (citizen) of the city of Bremen, who lived from 1612 to 1678. Another notable figure was Caspar Schnurman, a theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig, who was born in 1636 and died in 1689.
In the 18th century, the name Schnurman continued to be found in various parts of Germany. For instance, a Johann Georg Schnurman was born in 1723 in the town of Hattorf, near Göttingen, and later became a respected pastor and author. Additionally, a family of Schnurmans lived in the village of Hilders in Hesse, where a Johann Schnurman was recorded as a landowner in 1782.
As the centuries passed, the Schnurman surname spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and, eventually, to other continents through emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, where it emerged as an occupational name related to the cord or rope-making trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnurman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnurman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnurman 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 Schnurman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnurman
Schnurman appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 6,182 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 Schnurman 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 | #150,452 | #144,270 | 4.1% |
| Count | 109 | 117 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnurman bearers went from 109 to 117 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 6,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #144,270.
FAQ
Schnurman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnurman?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Schnurman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Schnurman?
Schnurman ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Schnurman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Schnurman.
Has Schnurman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnurman went from 109 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnurman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnurman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Schnurman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnurman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Schnurman (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 Schnurman mean?
A German surname derived from "Schnur" meaning cord or string, likely referring to an occupation related to rope-making or cording. 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 Schnurman (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 common is the surname Schnurman?
See how many Americans have the surname Schnurman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.