2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schwatka
An Anglicized version of a German surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 108 Americans carry the last name Schwatka. That puts it at #156,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,173,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwatka 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
108
1 in 3,173,651
Census rank
#156,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
94
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 94 bearers of the surname Schwatka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwatka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwatka
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwatka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwatka 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 Schwatka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 2
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwatka
Schwatka 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,624 places
2020
#156,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 94
-14 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,624 places |
| 2020 | #156,608 | 94 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 5,076 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 Schwatka 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 | #151,532 | #156,608 | -3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 94 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -21.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwatka bearers went from 108 to 94 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 5,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #156,608.
FAQ
Schwatka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwatka?
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the surname Schwatka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,173,651 residents.
How common is Schwatka?
Schwatka ranks #156,608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 94 people with the surname Schwatka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (108), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Schwatka.
Has Schwatka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwatka went from 108 recorded bearers to 94. That is a decrease of 14 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #156,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwatka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwatka, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Schwatka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwatka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Schwatka (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 Schwatka mean?
An Anglicized version of a German surname derived from a place name. 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 Schwatka (0.03 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 Schwatka?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.