2000
#4,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Rare Last name
Schoonover
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a cobbler or shoemaker, derived from the Middle Dutch word "schoenmaker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,440 Americans carry the last name Schoonover. That puts it at #4,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schoonover 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
8.4K
1 in 40,611
Census rank
#4,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,360 bearers of the surname Schoonover in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoonover, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schoonover
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoonover, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schoonover 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 Schoonover surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 6,733
- Two or more races3.5% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 251
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 40
- Black or African American0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schoonover
Schoonover 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
#4,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,756
+104 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#4,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,360
-396 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,289 | 7,652 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,573 | 7,756 | 2.63 | +104 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #4,675 | 7,360 | 2.46 | -396 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 102 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 Schoonover 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 | #4,573 | #4,675 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,756 | 7,360 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.46 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schoonover bearers went from 7,756 to 7,360 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,573 to #4,675.
FAQ
Schoonover surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schoonover?
Name Census estimates that about 8,440 living Americans carry the surname Schoonover. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,611 residents.
How common is Schoonover?
Schoonover ranks #4,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,360 people with the surname Schoonover. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Schoonover.
Has Schoonover become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schoonover went from 7,756 recorded bearers to 7,360. That is a decrease of 396 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,573 to #4,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Schoonover?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schoonover, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Schoonover in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (6,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schoonover appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Schoonover (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 Schoonover mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a cobbler or shoemaker, derived from the Middle Dutch word "schoenmaker." 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 Schoonover (2.46 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 Schoonover?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.