2000
#4,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Rare Last name
Schoen
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,711 Americans carry the last name Schoen. That puts it at #4,536 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoen 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
8.7K
1 in 39,347
Census rank
#4,536
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,596 bearers of the surname Schoen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4536th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schoen
The surname Schoen originated in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "schön," meaning beautiful or fair. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered attractive or had a pleasing appearance.
In the 13th century, the name Schoen can be found in various records from the southern regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It was also commonly spelled as "Schön" or "Schon" during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schoen is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a man named Johannes Schoen is mentioned in a document dated 1295.
The name also appears in the Stadtbücher (town books) of several German cities, such as the Stadtbuch of Nuremberg, which contains records of a family named Schoen dating back to the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Schoen was Johann Schoen, a German printer and publisher who was active in Mainz and Worms between 1460 and 1505. He is considered one of the pioneers of the printing industry in Germany.
Another historical figure with the surname Schoen was Martin Schoen, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1532 to 1589. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
In the 17th century, Johann Schoen (1622-1677) was a German painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was a prominent figure in the Baroque art movement in Germany.
During the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Schoen (1753-1821) was a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to church music in his time.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Schoen (1807-1878) was a German politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for Prussia from 1858 to 1862.
The surname Schoen can also be found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Schönau, Schönberg, and Schönfeld, which further highlights the historical significance and widespread use of this name in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoen
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoen 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 Schoen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 7,078
- Two or more races2.7% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 203
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 56
- Black or African American0.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoen
Schoen 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
#4,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,140
-15 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 365 places
2020
#4,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,596
-544 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,000 | 8,155 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,365 | 8,140 | 2.76 | -15 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 365 places |
| 2020 | #4,536 | 7,596 | 2.54 | -544 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 171 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 Schoen 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 | #4,365 | #4,536 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,140 | 7,596 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.54 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoen bearers went from 8,140 to 7,596 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,365 to #4,536.
FAQ
Schoen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoen?
Name Census estimates that about 8,711 living Americans carry the surname Schoen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,347 residents.
How common is Schoen?
Schoen ranks #4,536 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,596 people with the surname Schoen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Schoen.
Has Schoen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoen went from 8,140 recorded bearers to 7,596. That is a decrease of 544 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,365 to #4,536.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Schoen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (7,078 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Schoen (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 Schoen mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold 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 Schoen (2.54 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 Schoen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.