2000
#26,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 869
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Schwantes
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the town of Schwante.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,029 Americans carry the last name Schwantes. That puts it at #28,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 333,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwantes 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
1.0K
1 in 333,095
Census rank
#28,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
897
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 897 bearers of the surname Schwantes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwantes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwantes
The surname Schwantes is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. Its earliest recorded instances can be found in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.
The name Schwantes is believed to be derived from the Old German word "schwant," which translates to "forest clearing" or "cleared land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to individuals who inhabited or worked on land that had been cleared from forests.
In the 13th century, records show the presence of individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Swantes and Schwantze, residing in the Duchy of Saxony and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. These early spellings reflect the linguistic evolution of the name over time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Schwantes can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dated around 1275. This record mentions a certain "Johannes Swantes" as a landowner in the region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Schwantes surname gained prominence in the regions of Pomerania and Mecklenburg. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Schwantes (1592-1653), a Lutheran theologian and author from Rostock, and Heinrich Schwantes (1633-1696), a renowned jurist and professor of law at the University of Greifswald.
In the 18th century, the name Schwantes appeared in the records of the Prussian military. One such individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Schwantes (1718-1793), a Prussian officer who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War.
As the German population dispersed across Europe and beyond, the Schwantes surname spread to other regions. Johann Christian Schwantes (1809-1885), a German-born botanist and naturalist, is credited with introducing several plant species to South Africa, where he resided for a significant portion of his life.
Another notable figure was Karl Schwantes (1890-1960), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts of Berlin after World War II. His work helped shape the modern cityscape of the German capital.
While the surname Schwantes may have originated from humble beginnings, referring to those who cleared land for settlement, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, from theology and jurisprudence to botany and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwantes
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwantes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwantes 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 Schwantes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 832
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 32
- Two or more races2.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 7
- Black or African American0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwantes
Schwantes 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
#27,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 897
+28 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 602 places
2020
#28,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 897
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,295 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,419 | 869 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,021 | 897 | 0.30 | +28 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 602 places |
| 2020 | #28,316 | 897 | 0.30 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,295 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 Schwantes 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 | #27,021 | #28,316 | -4.8% |
| Count | 897 | 897 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwantes bearers went from 897 to 897 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,295 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,021 to #28,316.
FAQ
Schwantes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwantes?
Name Census estimates that about 1,029 living Americans carry the surname Schwantes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 333,095 residents.
How common is Schwantes?
Schwantes ranks #28,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 897 people with the surname Schwantes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Schwantes.
Has Schwantes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwantes went from 897 recorded bearers to 897. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,021 to #28,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwantes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwantes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schwantes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (832 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwantes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Schwantes (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 Schwantes mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the town of Schwante. 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 Schwantes (0.30 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 share the surname Schwantes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.