2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schulgen
A German surname derived from words meaning "official in charge of collecting taxes or fines".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Schulgen. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schulgen 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Schulgen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schulgen
The surname Schulgen originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German words "schul" meaning "school" and "gen" meaning "place" or "location," indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked at a school.
One of the earliest known references to the name Schulgen can be found in the Annals of the Monastery of Cologne, which mentions a man named Johannes Schulgen in the year 1187. This document provides evidence that the surname was already in use during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Saxony, where it is believed to have originated. For example, a man named Henricus Schulgen is mentioned in a land registry from the city of Leipzig in 1267.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by the appearance of a Theodoricus Schulgen in a legal document from the city of Lübeck in 1329.
One notable person bearing the surname Schulgen was Johannes Schulgen, a scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in the town of Würzburg in 1423 and is known for his writings on the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with a man named Martin Schulgen being mentioned as a follower of Martin Luther in a document from 1527.
Another notable figure with the surname Schulgen was Hans Schulgen, a painter and engraver who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 16th century. His works, which include religious scenes and portraits, are still preserved in various museums across Europe.
During the 17th century, the name Schulgen can be found in records from the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Johann Schulgen is mentioned in a trade document from 1649.
In the 18th century, a man named Friedrich Schulgen gained recognition as a composer and organist in the city of Leipzig. He was born in 1712 and is known for his contributions to the development of sacred music during the Baroque period.
The 19th century saw the surname Schulgen appear in various parts of Germany, with notable individuals including the poet and writer Gustav Schulgen, who was born in Berlin in 1823 and published several volumes of poetry and literary works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schulgen
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schulgen 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 Schulgen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 104
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schulgen
Schulgen 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 4,674 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 Schulgen 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 | #152,628 | #147,954 | 3.1% |
| Count | 107 | 112 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schulgen bearers went from 107 to 112 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,954.
FAQ
Schulgen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schulgen?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Schulgen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Schulgen?
Schulgen ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Schulgen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Schulgen.
Has Schulgen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schulgen went from 107 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Schulgen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schulgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Schulgen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schulgen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Schulgen (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 Schulgen mean?
A German surname derived from words meaning "official in charge of collecting taxes or fines". 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 Schulgen (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 have the last name Schulgen?
See how many people have the surname Schulgen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.