2000
#28,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 784
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Schomburg
A German topographic surname indicating someone from a place named Schomburg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 846 Americans carry the last name Schomburg. That puts it at #33,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 405,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schomburg 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
846
1 in 405,147
Census rank
#33,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
738
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 738 bearers of the surname Schomburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schomburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schomburg
The surname SCHOMBURG has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "schon" meaning beautiful and "burg" meaning castle or fortified town. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in or came from a particularly picturesque or well-kept castle or town.
The earliest known records of the name SCHOMBURG can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Saxony, which was a powerful medieval duchy in present-day eastern Germany. The name appears in various manuscripts and chronicles from that time, often referring to individuals of noble or knightly status.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus de Schomburg" in 1256. This indicates that the name was already well-established by the 13th century.
Over the centuries, the name SCHOMBURG has been spelled in various ways, reflecting regional variations and changes in language. Some of the alternate spellings include Schonburg, Schönburg, and Schomberg. Additionally, the name has been associated with several place names, such as Schömberg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and Schomberg in Ontario, Canada, which was named after a notable figure bearing the surname.
Several prominent individuals have borne the surname SCHOMBURG throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Schomburg (c. 1300-1367), a German knight and military commander who served under the Margrave of Brandenburg. Another notable figure was Dietrich von Schomburg (1515-1590), a German diplomat and military leader who played a significant role in the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain.
In the 17th century, Friedrich Hermann Schomburg (1616-1673) was a German soldier and mercenary captain who fought in the Thirty Years' War. Later, Isaac Hartmann Schomburg (1720-1787) was a German-born American merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania.
One of the most celebrated individuals with this surname was Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874-1938), a Puerto Rican-American writer, historian, and activist known for his pioneering work in preserving and promoting the history and culture of the African diaspora. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library is named in his honor.
While the surname SCHOMBURG has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated and settled in different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schomburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Schomburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schomburg 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 Schomburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 688
- Two or more races2.4% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 15
- Black or African American1.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schomburg
Schomburg 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
#30,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 771
-13 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 1,722 places
2020
#33,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 738
-33 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,617 | 784 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,339 | 771 | 0.26 | -13 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,722 places |
| 2020 | #33,269 | 738 | 0.25 | -33 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 2,930 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 Schomburg 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 | #30,339 | #33,269 | -9.7% |
| Count | 771 | 738 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.25 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schomburg bearers went from 771 to 738 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 2,930 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,339 to #33,269.
FAQ
Schomburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schomburg?
Name Census estimates that about 846 living Americans carry the surname Schomburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 405,147 residents.
How common is Schomburg?
Schomburg ranks #33,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 738 people with the surname Schomburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Schomburg.
Has Schomburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schomburg went from 771 recorded bearers to 738. That is a decrease of 33 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,339 to #33,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Schomburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schomburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) 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 Schomburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schomburg 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 (2.4%), 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 Schomburg (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 Schomburg mean?
A German topographic surname indicating someone from a place named Schomburg. 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 Schomburg (0.25 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 Schomburg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.