Find out how popular the last name Schwarz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schwarz.

Schwarz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schwarz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schwarz in America

Schwarz is the 2295th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schwarz surname appeared 15,884 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Schwarz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schwarz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schwarz

The surname Schwarz originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "schwarz," meaning "black," and was likely given as a nickname to someone with dark hair or complexion.

The name is found in various historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents from the Kingdom of Saxony dating back to the 9th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the 1297 census of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hainrich Schwarz is listed as a resident.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the University of Vienna, where a student named Petrus Schwarz is mentioned in 1366. Another notable figure from this period is Johannes Schwarz, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from around 1290 to 1350.

During the Renaissance, the name gained more prominence. Barthold Schwarz, a 14th-century German monk and alchemist, is credited with the invention of gunpowder, although this claim is disputed by some historians. Christoph Schwarz (1545-1592) was a German composer and organist during the late Renaissance period.

In the 17th century, Caspar Schwarz (1615-1696) was a German jurist and author who wrote extensively on the legal system of the Holy Roman Empire. Around the same time, Berthold Schwarz (1614-1675) was a German painter known for his religious works and portraits.

Moving into the 18th century, Johann Schwarz (1677-1744) was a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Later, in the 19th century, Karl Schwarz (1812-1885) was a German sculptor renowned for his works in marble and bronze.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Schwarz, which has its roots in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schwarz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schwarz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schwarz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schwarz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schwarz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schwarz, please contact us.

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