Find out how popular the last name Schoonover is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schoonover.

Schoonover, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schoonover surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schoonover in America

Schoonover is the 4573rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schoonover surname appeared 7,756 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Schoonover.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schoonover to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schoonover

The surname Schoonover originated in the Netherlands and dates back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "schoon" meaning "beautiful" and "over" meaning "bank" or "shore." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a beautiful riverbank or shoreline.

In the early 1600s, the name was found in various Dutch records and documents, sometimes spelled as "Schoonhoven" or "Schoonhoven." The earliest known bearer of the name was Jan Schoonover, born in Rotterdam in 1612. He was a merchant and later emigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in the 1640s.

Another notable early bearer of the name was Pieter Schoonover, born in Amsterdam in 1625. He was a sailor and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) in the mid-17th century. His journals and logbooks from these voyages are preserved in the archives of the Dutch East India Company.

As the Dutch colonized various parts of the world, the Schoonover name spread to other regions. In the late 1600s, a branch of the family settled in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), where they were among the earliest European settlers. One of their descendants, Johannes Schoonover (1742-1821), became a prominent farmer and landowner in the Western Cape region.

In the 18th century, the Schoonover name also appeared in various records from the American colonies, particularly in New York and New Jersey. Jacob Schoonover (1728-1810), born in Monmouth County, New Jersey, served as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.

Another significant figure was Daniel Schoonover (1774-1857), a farmer and politician from Ulster County, New York. He served in the New York State Assembly and was actively involved in the anti-rent movement, advocating for the rights of tenant farmers.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Schoonover name continued to be found across various parts of the United States, with notable individuals including writer and journalist Elizabeth Schoonover (1892-1976), artist and illustrator Frank Schoonover (1877-1972), and businessman and philanthropist Walter Schoonover (1886-1965).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schoonover

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schoonover.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schoonover was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schoonover has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schoonover was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schoonover, please contact us.

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