2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schoaf
A surname of German origin, derived from "Schof," meaning a shed or barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Schoaf. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoaf 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Schoaf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schoaf
The surname Schoaf has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Schaf," which means "sheep." This suggests that the name was likely initially given to someone who worked as a shepherd or in a profession related to sheep farming.
One of the earliest known references to the Schoaf name can be found in the records of the town of Göttingen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. In a document dated 1567, a person named Hans Schoaf is mentioned as a resident of the town.
Another early record of the Schoaf name comes from the city of Cologne, where a family by the name of Schoaf is listed in the city's tax records from the late 16th century. This indicates that the name had spread to other regions of Germany by that time.
In the 17th century, the Schoaf name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a prominent family by that name was involved in the textile trade. One notable member of this family was Johannes Schoaf (1621-1687), a successful merchant and philanthropist who donated funds for the construction of a hospital in the city.
As the centuries passed, the Schoaf name continued to spread throughout Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the region of Alsace, which was then part of France. Here, the name was sometimes spelled as "Schoff" or "Schoeffe."
Another notable figure with the Schoaf surname was Wilhelm Schoaf (1810-1868), a German painter and illustrator who was born in the town of Düsseldorf. His works, which often depicted scenes of rural life, were widely admired during his lifetime.
As German immigrants began to arrive in the United States in the 19th century, the Schoaf name was brought to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Schoaf, who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1830s.
Overall, the surname Schoaf has a rich history that spans centuries and is deeply rooted in German culture and traditions. While the name may have evolved over time, its connection to the shepherd and wool trades remains a notable aspect of its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoaf
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoaf 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 Schoaf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoaf
Schoaf 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,776 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,776 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 5,775 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 Schoaf 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 | #151,532 | #145,757 | 3.8% |
| Count | 108 | 115 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoaf bearers went from 108 to 115 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,757.
FAQ
Schoaf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoaf?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Schoaf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Schoaf?
Schoaf ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Schoaf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Schoaf.
Has Schoaf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoaf went from 108 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoaf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Schoaf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoaf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Schoaf (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 Schoaf mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from "Schof," meaning a shed or barn. 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 Schoaf (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 Schoaf?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.