2000
#4,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.49
Rare Last name
Schumann
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German term "schuoch," meaning "shoe," referring to a shoemaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,388 Americans carry the last name Schumann. That puts it at #5,234 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schumann 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 Schumann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,393
Census rank
#5,234
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,443 bearers of the surname Schumann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5234th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schumann
The surname SCHUMANN is a German surname that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "schuoch," which means "shoemaker." The name was originally an occupational surname given to those who made or repaired shoes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony. The name was spelled various ways, including "Schuocman," "Schuomann," and "Schuoman."
In the 14th century, the surname SCHUMANN appeared in the Österreichisches Klosterbuch, a record of Austrian monasteries and convents. This suggests that the name was widespread throughout German-speaking regions during this time.
The SCHUMANN surname can also be found in the Bürgermeisterbücher, which were records kept by city officials in medieval Germany. One notable entry is from the city of Nürnberg in 1432, where a certain "Hanns Schumann" is mentioned as a citizen.
One of the earliest and most famous individuals to bear the SCHUMANN surname was the German composer and pianist Robert Schumann (1810-1856). He was a leading figure in the Romantic era of classical music and is remembered for works such as his piano concerto and the "Rhenish" symphony.
Another notable SCHUMANN was the German philosopher and logician Ernst Schumann (1888-1925), who made contributions to the philosophy of science and the foundations of mathematics.
In the realm of literature, the German writer Edgar Wolfram Schumann (1914-1988) was a prolific author of historical novels and biographies.
The SCHUMANN surname has also appeared in the scientific field, with the German physicist Ernst Schumann (1888-1933) being known for his work on the Schumann resonances, which are electromagnetic waves that propagate between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere.
Finally, the American artist and photographer Harry Schumann (1925-2006) was a prominent figure in the art world, known for his large-scale photographic murals.
These examples illustrate the diverse range of individuals who have carried the SCHUMANN surname throughout history, spanning various fields and professions across multiple centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schumann
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schumann 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 Schumann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 5,873
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 261
- Two or more races3.1% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
- Black or African American0.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schumann
Schumann 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
#5,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,777
+49 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#5,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,443
-334 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,798 | 6,728 | 2.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,162 | 6,777 | 2.30 | +49 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #5,234 | 6,443 | 2.16 | -334 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 72 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 Schumann 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 | #5,162 | #5,234 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,777 | 6,443 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.16 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schumann bearers went from 6,777 to 6,443 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,162 to #5,234.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schumann
FAQ
Schumann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schumann?
Name Census estimates that about 7,388 living Americans carry the surname Schumann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,393 residents.
How common is Schumann?
Schumann ranks #5,234 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.16 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 6,443 people with the surname Schumann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,388), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.16 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 Schumann.
Has Schumann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schumann went from 6,777 recorded bearers to 6,443. That is a decrease of 334 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,162 to #5,234.
What does the Census say about the background of Schumann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schumann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Schumann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (5,873 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schumann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Schumann (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 Schumann mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German term "schuoch," meaning "shoe," referring to a shoemaker. 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 Schumann (2.16 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 Schumann?
Find out how many people have the surname Schumann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.