2000
#1,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.11
Uncommon Last name
Schumacher
An occupational surname referring to a shoemaker, derived from the German words "Schuh" (shoe) and "macher" (maker).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,932 Americans carry the last name Schumacher. That puts it at #1,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schumacher 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 Schumacher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,271
Census rank
#1,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,358 bearers of the surname Schumacher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schumacher
The surname SCHUMACHER is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "schuochmacher" or "schuochmachære," which means "shoemaker" or "cobbler." This occupational surname dates back to the 12th century and was initially given to individuals who made or repaired shoes for a living.
The name SCHUMACHER can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was a common surname among the craftsmen and artisans who lived in medieval towns and cities. As the guild system developed, surnames like SCHUMACHER became more prevalent, indicating an individual's trade or occupation.
Historical records show that the surname SCHUMACHER appeared in various documents and manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. For example, the surname is mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of Saxon charters and documents dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SCHUMACHER can be found in the Liber Censualis, a tax record compiled in the city of Nuremberg in 1497. In this document, a certain Hanns SCHUMACHER is listed as a resident of the city.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname SCHUMACHER. Here are a few examples:
1. Johannes SCHUMACHER (c. 1480 - c. 1550), a German humanist scholar and writer from Augsburg.
2. Heinrich SCHUMACHER (1675 - 1758), a German architect and military engineer who designed fortifications in Kassel and Mainz.
3. Johann David SCHUMACHER (1690 - 1761), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets.
4. Karl Friedrich SCHUMACHER (1796 - 1868), a German astronomer and director of the Altona Observatory, known for his work on stellar parallax and double stars.
5. Ernst SCHUMACHER (1911 - 1977), a German-British economist and philosopher, best known for his book "Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered."
The surname SCHUMACHER has also been associated with various place names and older spellings of toponyms. For instance, the town of Schuhmacher in Saxony, Germany, likely derived its name from the occupation of its early inhabitants as shoemakers or cobblers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schumacher
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schumacher 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 Schumacher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 22,666
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 675
- Two or more races2.7% · 647
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 175
- Black or African American0.4% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schumacher
Schumacher 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
#1,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,292
+719 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 8.57
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,358
-934 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 8.15
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,315 | 24,573 | 9.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,404 | 25,292 | 8.57 | +719 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,423 | 24,358 | 8.15 | -934 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 19 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 Schumacher 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 | #1,404 | #1,423 | -1.4% |
| Count | 25,292 | 24,358 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.57 | 8.15 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schumacher bearers went from 25,292 to 24,358 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,404 to #1,423.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schumacher
FAQ
Schumacher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schumacher?
Name Census estimates that about 27,932 living Americans carry the surname Schumacher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,271 residents.
How common is Schumacher?
Schumacher ranks #1,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,358 people with the surname Schumacher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Schumacher.
Has Schumacher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schumacher went from 25,292 recorded bearers to 24,358. That is a decrease of 934 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,404 to #1,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Schumacher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumacher, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schumacher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (22,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schumacher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schumacher (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 Schumacher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shoemaker, derived from the German words "Schuh" (shoe) and "macher" (maker). 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 Schumacher (8.15 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 common is the surname Schumacher?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Schumacher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.