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

Schwatka, 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 Schwatka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schwatka in America

Schwatka is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schwatka surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schwatka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schwatka 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 Schwatka

The surname SCHWATKA is of German origin, originating in the late 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "schwatzen," which means "to chatter" or "to babble." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their talkative nature.

The earliest recorded instances of the SCHWATKA surname can be found in various German historical records, including church registers and tax rolls from the late 1600s and early 1700s. These records primarily come from regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia, where the name was most prominent.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the SCHWATKA surname was Johann SCHWATKA, born in 1692 in the town of Görlitz, Saxony. He was a baker by trade and is mentioned in several local records from the early 18th century.

Another notable figure was Gottfried SCHWATKA, a German explorer and officer in the United States Army. He was born in 1838 in Galena, Illinois, and is best known for leading an expedition to the Arctic in search of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition. His journey, which took place from 1878 to 1880, resulted in the discovery of several artifacts and relics from the Franklin party.

In the 19th century, the SCHWATKA surname appeared in various regions of Germany, as well as in areas with significant German populations, such as parts of Austria and Switzerland. One example is Friedrich SCHWATKA, a German-American artist born in 1849 in Braunschweig, Germany, who later emigrated to the United States and became known for his landscape paintings.

The SCHWATKA name can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For instance, Władysław SCHWATKA was a Polish architect born in 1828 in Warsaw, who designed several notable buildings in the city during the late 19th century.

Another individual of note was Anna SCHWATKA, a German-American educator and philanthropist born in 1847 in Saxony. She founded several schools and educational institutions in the United States, with a focus on providing education opportunities for underprivileged children.

While the SCHWATKA surname is relatively uncommon, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, from explorers and artists to educators and architects. Its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, where it likely emerged as a descriptive name reflecting the talkative nature of its earliest bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schwatka

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

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 Schwatka 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 Schwatka 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 Schwatka was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!