2000
#61,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Schunke
A German occupational surname meaning "shoemaker" or "cobbler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 376 Americans carry the last name Schunke. That puts it at #65,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 911,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schunke 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
376
1 in 911,581
Census rank
#65,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
328
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 328 bearers of the surname Schunke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schunke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schunke
The surname SCHUNKE has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "schunke," which referred to a small parcel of land or a small farm. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who owned or worked on a modest agricultural property.
In the region of Saxony, where the name is thought to have originated, various spellings were used in historical documents, including Schuncke, Schunck, and Schungk. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known records of the name SCHUNKE can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church registers) of the town of Grimma in Saxony, where a person named Hans Schunke was mentioned in an entry dated 1587.
In the 17th century, the SCHUNKE name appears in various legal and property records in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia. For instance, a certain Christoph Schunke was listed as a landowner in the town of Döbeln in 1642.
Notable individuals bearing the SCHUNKE surname include the following:
1. Johann Friedrich Schunke (1744-1817), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Löbau, Saxony.
2. Carl Gottlob Schunke (1780-1841), a German composer and music teacher who lived and worked in Leipzig.
3. Friedrich Wilhelm Schunke (1816-1878), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
4. Ernst Schunke (1868-1933), a German architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Berlin and other cities.
5. Theodor Schunke (1875-1936), a German painter and illustrator who specialized in depicting scenes from rural life and folklore.
While the SCHUNKE name may have originated from a humble description of a small landholding, it has been carried by individuals from various professions and walks of life throughout history, leaving their mark in fields such as religion, arts, politics, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schunke
Among Census respondents with the surname Schunke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schunke 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 Schunke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 303
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schunke
Schunke 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
#63,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 315
+12 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,518 places
2020
#65,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
+13 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,855 | 303 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,373 | 315 | 0.11 | +12 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,518 places |
| 2020 | #65,358 | 328 | 0.11 | +13 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 1,985 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 Schunke 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 | #63,373 | #65,358 | -3.1% |
| Count | 315 | 328 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schunke bearers went from 315 to 328 (+4.1% change). The surname moved down 1,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,373 to #65,358.
FAQ
Schunke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schunke?
Name Census estimates that about 376 living Americans carry the surname Schunke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 911,581 residents.
How common is Schunke?
Schunke ranks #65,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 328 people with the surname Schunke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Schunke.
Has Schunke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schunke went from 315 recorded bearers to 328. That is an increase of 13 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,373 to #65,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Schunke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schunke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Schunke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (303 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schunke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Schunke (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 Schunke mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "shoemaker" or "cobbler". 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 Schunke (0.11 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 Schunke?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Schunke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.