2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schonewolf
A German surname meaning "beautiful wolf" or "fair wolf".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Schonewolf. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schonewolf 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Schonewolf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schonewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schonewolf
The surname "SCHONEWOLF" is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a compound name derived from the Middle High German words "schöne," meaning "beautiful," and "wolf," referring to the animal. This surname likely originated in regions where German was spoken, such as modern-day Germany, Austria, or parts of Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 15th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. The name was sometimes spelled differently in older records, such as "Schonewolff" or "Schönewolf."
While no specific historical references or famous individuals with this surname have been definitively identified, it is possible that the name may have appeared in local parish records, tax rolls, or other administrative documents from the late medieval or early modern periods in German-speaking regions.
In the 16th century, a man named Johannes Schonewolf was born in the town of Nuremberg in 1512. He was a renowned goldsmith and metalworker, known for his intricate and detailed craftsmanship.
Another notable bearer of the name was Hans Schonewolf, a 17th-century merchant and trader from the city of Hamburg. Born in 1623, he was involved in the lucrative maritime trade between Germany and the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, a woman named Anna Maria Schonewolf lived in the town of Heidelberg. She was a respected midwife and herbalist, known for her knowledge of traditional remedies and her compassionate care for mothers and newborns.
During the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Schonewolf gained recognition as a talented architect in the city of Berlin. Born in 1838, he designed several notable buildings and public spaces that still stand today.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, a German-American named Karl Schonewolf immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. Born in 1892, he worked as a skilled watchmaker and jeweler, passing down his craft to subsequent generations of his family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schonewolf
Among Census respondents with the surname Schonewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schonewolf 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 Schonewolf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schonewolf
Schonewolf 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,791 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,791 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 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 Schonewolf 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 | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schonewolf bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Schonewolf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schonewolf?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Schonewolf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Schonewolf?
Schonewolf ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Schonewolf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Schonewolf.
Has Schonewolf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schonewolf went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Schonewolf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schonewolf, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schonewolf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schonewolf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schonewolf (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 Schonewolf mean?
A German surname meaning "beautiful wolf" or "fair wolf". 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 Schonewolf (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 Schonewolf?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.