2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schonlau
A German surname likely derived from a place name, or referring to a beautiful or scenic meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Schonlau. 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 Schonlau 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 Schonlau 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 Schonlau, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schonlau
The surname SCHONLAU is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It likely originated in the regions of central or eastern Germany, where many place names and surnames were derived from descriptive terms related to the local landscape or geographic features.
SCHONLAU is believed to be a combination of two Old German words: "schön," meaning "beautiful" or "fair," and "lau," which could refer to a meadow, clearing, or forest glade. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who resided in a particularly picturesque or scenic location, perhaps near a beautiful meadow or glade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHONLAU name appears in a 14th-century land registry from the region of Saxony, where a farmer named Hans SCHONLAU was listed as a landholder. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a surname by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Heinrich SCHONLAU (1506-1567) gained recognition as a Lutheran theologian and reformer in the city of Nuremberg. His writings and sermons played a role in the spread of Protestantism in the region.
During the 17th century, the SCHONLAU name appears in records from various parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria and Hesse. One individual of note was Johannes SCHONLAU (1618-1679), a merchant and civic leader in the town of Erfurt.
In the 18th century, the SCHONLAU name gained further prominence with the birth of Johann Lukas SCHONLAU (1786-1864), a pioneering German physician and professor of medicine. His contributions to the field of medical diagnosis and the understanding of diseases were significant, and he is considered one of the founders of modern clinical medicine.
Another notable figure bearing the SCHONLAU surname was the 19th-century poet and writer Karl SCHONLAU (1821-1899), who gained recognition for his lyrical poetry and contributions to German literature.
As the SCHONLAU name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, including SCHÖNLAU, SCHÖNLOH, and SCHONLOH, among others. However, the core meaning and derivation from the Old German words for "beautiful" and "meadow" or "glade" remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schonlau
Among Census respondents with the surname Schonlau, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schonlau 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 Schonlau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 120
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schonlau
Schonlau appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 5,944 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 Schonlau 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 | #147,253 | #141,309 | 4.0% |
| Count | 112 | 121 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schonlau bearers went from 112 to 121 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 5,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #141,309.
FAQ
Schonlau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schonlau?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Schonlau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Schonlau?
Schonlau 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 Schonlau. 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 Schonlau.
Has Schonlau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schonlau went from 112 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 9 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Schonlau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schonlau, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Schonlau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schonlau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Schonlau (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 Schonlau mean?
A German surname likely derived from a place name, or referring to a beautiful or scenic meadow. 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 Schonlau (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 common is the surname Schonlau?
See how common the surname Schonlau is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.