2000
#32,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Schoeneman
A Germanic occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 736 Americans carry the last name Schoeneman. That puts it at #37,317 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 465,699 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoeneman 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
736
1 in 465,699
Census rank
#37,317
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
642
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 642 bearers of the surname Schoeneman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37317th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoeneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schoeneman
The surname "Schoeneman" is of German origin, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was initially spelled as "Schönemann" or "Schöneman".
The name itself is derived from the German words "schön" and "Mann", which translate to "beautiful" and "man" respectively. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive surname, given to individuals with a striking or attractive appearance.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the 1587 "Kirchenbuch" (church book) of Großpösna, a town near Leipzig, which mentions a certain "Hans Schönemann". Another early record is from the 1598 "Bürgerbuch" (citizens' book) of Görlitz, where a "Michael Schoeneman" is listed.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records across Germany, including the 1622 "Kirchenbuch" of Magdeburg, which mentions a "Joachim Schönemann". Additionally, the 1668 "Taufregister" (baptismal register) of Cottbus includes an entry for a "Christian Schoeneman".
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Johann Christian Schoenemann (1727-1792), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Saxony. Another prominent figure was Johann Georg Schoenemann (1735-1808), a German philologist and educator who taught at the University of Leipzig.
Other individuals of note include:
1. Friedrich August Schoenemann (1765-1828), a German classical scholar and professor at the University of Göttingen.
2. Johann Friedrich Schoenemann (1787-1860), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony.
3. Karl Traugott Schoenemann (1804-1879), a German philologist and professor at the University of Jena.
4. Georg Wilhelm Schoenemann (1817-1875), a German historian and archivist from Hanover.
5. Heinrich Friedrich Schoenemann (1833-1885), a German classical scholar and professor at the University of Greifswald.
While the name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as "Schönemann", "Schöneman", and "Schoeneman", it has maintained its German roots and has been carried by individuals across various academic and professional fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoeneman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoeneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoeneman 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 Schoeneman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 601
- Two or more races2.6% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoeneman
Schoeneman 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
#33,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 689
+16 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 929 places
2020
#37,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 642
-47 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,267 | 673 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,196 | 689 | 0.23 | +16 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 929 places |
| 2020 | #37,317 | 642 | 0.21 | -47 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 4,121 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 Schoeneman 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 | #33,196 | #37,317 | -12.4% |
| Count | 689 | 642 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.21 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoeneman bearers went from 689 to 642 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 4,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,196 to #37,317.
FAQ
Schoeneman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoeneman?
Name Census estimates that about 736 living Americans carry the surname Schoeneman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 465,699 residents.
How common is Schoeneman?
Schoeneman ranks #37,317 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 642 people with the surname Schoeneman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (736), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Schoeneman.
Has Schoeneman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoeneman went from 689 recorded bearers to 642. That is a decrease of 47 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,196 to #37,317.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoeneman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoeneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Schoeneman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoeneman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Schoeneman (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 Schoeneman mean?
A Germanic occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or cobbler. 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 Schoeneman (0.21 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 are called Schoeneman?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Schoeneman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.