2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schoneck
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named Schöneck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Schoneck. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoneck 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Schoneck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoneck, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schoneck
The surname SCHONECK originated in Germany, with its earliest known references dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German words "schön" meaning beautiful and "eck" meaning corner or angle, suggesting it may have originated as a descriptive name for someone living in a particularly picturesque area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Johannes de Schonecke" in 1284. This suggests the name was already established in the area by the late 13th century.
Another early reference comes from the town of Schöneck in Saxony, where records show a family using the surname in the 14th century. It's possible the name originated as a locative name, referring to someone from this particular town or a similar place with a name derived from the words "schön" and "eck".
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Schoneck (c.1420-1492) was a renowned Catholic theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Leipzig. He authored several influential works on theology and logic during his lifetime.
Moving into the 16th century, a German cartographer and mathematician named Martin Schoneck (c.1530-1598) made important contributions to the development of cartography and surveying techniques. He produced maps of various regions in Germany and published works on surveying and mathematics.
In the 17th century, a German composer named Johann Schoneck (1630-1695) gained recognition for his sacred choral works and compositions for the Lutheran church. Many of his pieces were performed in churches throughout Germany during his lifetime.
Later, in the 19th century, a German historian and archivist named Karl Schoneck (1810-1879) made significant contributions to the study of medieval German history through his research and publications on historical documents and manuscripts.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname SCHONECK, which has its roots in the German language and can be traced back to the 13th century or earlier.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoneck
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoneck, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoneck 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 Schoneck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 10
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoneck
Schoneck 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,954 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,954 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,716 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 Schoneck 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 | #135,593 | #141,309 | -4.2% |
| Count | 124 | 121 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoneck bearers went from 124 to 121 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,716 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #141,309.
FAQ
Schoneck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoneck?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Schoneck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Schoneck?
Schoneck ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Schoneck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Schoneck.
Has Schoneck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoneck went from 124 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoneck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoneck, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Schoneck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoneck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Schoneck (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 Schoneck mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named Schöneck. 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 Schoneck (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 Schoneck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.