2000
#10,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Schoch
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,215 Americans carry the last name Schoch. That puts it at #10,851 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoch 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
3.2K
1 in 106,611
Census rank
#10,851
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,804 bearers of the surname Schoch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10851st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schoch
The surname SCHOCH has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas of modern-day Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
The name SCHOCH is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "schock," which referred to a bundle or a stack, often used in the context of agricultural products or materials. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in farming, trading, or the transportation of goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SCHOCH can be found in the Liber Censuum, a census record from the city of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in various church records and municipal documents from the same era in various German-speaking regions.
The surname SCHOCH has undergone several spelling variations throughout its history, including Schoch, Schock, Schocke, and Schocken, among others. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciation patterns.
Notable individuals bearing the surname SCHOCH include Johann Schoch (1541-1620), a German Protestant theologian and church reformer from Nuremberg. Another prominent figure was Johann Jakob Schoch (1718-1792), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of cartography.
In the literary world, the German-American author and poet Charles Sealsfield (pseudonym of Karl Postl, 1793-1864) was born with the surname Schoch. He is known for his novels depicting life in the American West and his influence on the development of the Western genre.
The surname SCHOCH has also been associated with various place names, such as Schochenau, a town in Upper Austria, and Schochenried, a municipality in Bavaria, Germany. These place names suggest that individuals bearing the surname may have originated from or resided in these locations.
Other notable individuals with the surname SCHOCH include Johannes Schoch (1566-1629), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg, and Johann David Schoch (1688-1752), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his religious and allegorical works.
Overall, the surname SCHOCH has a rich history rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, reflecting connections to agriculture, trade, and various professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoch
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoch 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 Schoch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,549
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 111
- Two or more races3.5% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoch
Schoch 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
#10,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,141
+339 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 255 places
2020
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,804
-337 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,515 | 2,802 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,260 | 3,141 | 1.06 | +339 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 255 places |
| 2020 | #10,851 | 2,804 | 0.94 | -337 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 591 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 Schoch 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 | #10,260 | #10,851 | -5.8% |
| Count | 3,141 | 2,804 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.94 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoch bearers went from 3,141 to 2,804 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 591 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,260 to #10,851.
FAQ
Schoch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoch?
Name Census estimates that about 3,215 living Americans carry the surname Schoch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,611 residents.
How common is Schoch?
Schoch ranks #10,851 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,804 people with the surname Schoch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schoch.
Has Schoch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoch went from 3,141 recorded bearers to 2,804. That is a decrease of 337 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,260 to #10,851.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) 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 Schoch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), 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 Schoch (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 Schoch mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of shoes. 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 Schoch (0.94 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 Schoch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.