2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schran
A surname derived from the German word "schranne" meaning a market or marketplace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Schran. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schran 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Schran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schran
The surname Schran originated from Germany, arising sometime during the Middle Ages, likely between the 12th and 14th centuries. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a particular place or region where the earliest bearers of the name resided.
One theory suggests that Schran may have its roots in the Old High German word "scrank," which referred to a barrier, fence, or enclosure. This could indicate that the name was originally used to identify someone who lived near or was associated with a particular enclosure or fenced area.
Another possibility is that Schran is a variant spelling of the German name Schramm, which may be derived from the Middle High German word "schrame," meaning a scratch or scar. In this case, the name could have been initially given as a descriptive nickname or identifying feature.
While no definitive references to the name Schran have been found in ancient manuscripts or records such as the Domesday Book, there are some notable individuals throughout history who bore this surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Johann Schran, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 16th century (c. 1490-1573). He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
In the 17th century, there was a German writer and poet named Johann Paul Schran (1621-1679), who was known for his satirical works and contributions to German literature.
Another notable bearer of the Schran name was Franz Schran (1751-1835), an Austrian botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy and classification.
In the 19th century, there was a German-American writer and journalist named Robert Schran (1819-1890), who gained recognition for his travel writings and accounts of life in the American West.
More recently, in the 20th century, there was a German-American artist named Gerhard Schran (1920-2002), who was known for his abstract expressionist paintings and works on paper.
These examples illustrate the diversity of individuals who have carried the Schran surname throughout history, from scholars and writers to scientists and artists, originating from various regions of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schran
Among Census respondents with the surname Schran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schran 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 Schran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schran
Schran 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-7 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 12,183 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-21 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | -7 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 12,183 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 19,722 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 Schran 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 | #124,548 | #144,270 | -15.8% |
| Count | 138 | 117 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schran bearers went from 138 to 117 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 19,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #144,270.
FAQ
Schran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schran?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Schran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Schran?
Schran ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Schran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Schran.
Has Schran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schran went from 138 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Schran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schran 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 (6.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schran (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 Schran mean?
A surname derived from the German word "schranne" meaning a market or marketplace. 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 Schran (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 people are called Schran?
See how common the surname Schran is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.