2000
#4,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Schramm
A German occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a shopkeeper, peddler, or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,310 Americans carry the last name Schramm. That puts it at #4,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,246 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schramm 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schramm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,246
Census rank
#4,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,247 bearers of the surname Schramm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schramm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schramm
The surname SCHRAMM has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "schram," which means "a scratch or gash." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a surgeon or barber-surgeon, or perhaps even a reference to someone who had a distinctive scar or physical marking.
In the 13th century, the name is found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which contains a reference to a "Conradus Schramme" in 1288. This early spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SCHRAMM surname was Johann Schramm, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1530 to 1598. He is known for his intricate religious and mythological engravings, which were highly sought after during the Renaissance.
In the 17th century, the SCHRAMM name appears in the baptismal records of the town of Zwickau, in the eastern part of modern-day Germany. This suggests that the name was well-established in that region by that time.
During the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the SCHRAMM surname was Wilhelm Schramm, a German composer and organist who lived from 1714 to 1782. He served as the organist at the Frauenkirche in Dresden and composed numerous works for organ and other instruments.
In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the SCHRAMM surname was Wilhelm von Schramm, a Prussian general and military writer who lived from 1809 to 1882. He served in various campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars and later wrote several influential works on military tactics and strategy.
Another notable individual from this time period was Caspar Schramm, a German-American farmer and politician who lived from 1811 to 1887. He emigrated to the United States in the 1830s and eventually settled in Ohio, where he became involved in politics and served in the state legislature.
As the SCHRAMM name spread across Germany and into other parts of Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. Today, the surname can be found in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schramm
Among Census respondents with the surname Schramm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schramm 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 Schramm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 6,680
- Two or more races3.2% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 210
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 69
- Black or African American0.5% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schramm
Schramm 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
#4,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,543
-55 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#4,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,247
-296 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,329 | 7,598 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,705 | 7,543 | 2.56 | -55 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #4,738 | 7,247 | 2.42 | -296 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 33 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 Schramm 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 | #4,705 | #4,738 | -0.7% |
| Count | 7,543 | 7,247 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.56 | 2.42 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schramm bearers went from 7,543 to 7,247 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,705 to #4,738.
FAQ
Schramm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schramm?
Name Census estimates that about 8,310 living Americans carry the surname Schramm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,246 residents.
How common is Schramm?
Schramm ranks #4,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 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 7,247 people with the surname Schramm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 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 Schramm.
Has Schramm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schramm went from 7,543 recorded bearers to 7,247. That is a decrease of 296 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,705 to #4,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Schramm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schramm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Schramm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (6,680 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schramm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Schramm (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 Schramm mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a shopkeeper, peddler, or trader. 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 Schramm (2.42 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 people have the last name Schramm?
See how common the surname Schramm is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.