2000
#28,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Schweers
A German surname derived from the word 'Schwer' meaning 'heavy' or 'difficult'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 922 Americans carry the last name Schweers. That puts it at #30,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 371,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schweers 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
922
1 in 371,751
Census rank
#30,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
804
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 804 bearers of the surname Schweers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schweers
The surname SCHWEERS has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "schwerr," which means "heavy" or "difficult." This could suggest that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was considered a hard worker or someone who faced challenging circumstances.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHWEERS surname can be found in the town of Koblenz, located in the Rhine Valley region of Germany. In 1587, a document from the local archives mentions a "Hans Schweers," who was a merchant and landowner in the area. This suggests that the family had already established itself as a respected and prominent presence in the region by that time.
The SCHWEERS name can also be traced back to the village of Schweers, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. It is likely that the surname originated from this place name, as it was common for families to adopt the name of the town or village they hailed from during the Middle Ages.
In the 17th century, the SCHWEERS family began to expand their influence beyond the Rhineland region. Johann Schweers (1620-1692), a prominent merchant and banker, established a successful trading company in the city of Hamburg. His son, Friedrich Schweers (1658-1724), continued the family's mercantile endeavors and became a respected member of the Hamburg business community.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the SCHWEERS surname made their mark in various fields. Heinrich Schweers (1750-1823) was a renowned German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on the subject of education reform. His works influenced the development of modern pedagogy and educational practices.
In the field of literature, Karl Schweers (1818-1885) was a celebrated German poet and novelist. His collection of romantic poetry, titled "Lieder aus dem Herzen" (Songs from the Heart), gained widespread acclaim and established him as a prominent figure in the German literary scene of the time.
The SCHWEERS name also gained recognition in the realm of politics. Gustav Schweers (1860-1931) was a prominent German statesman and served as the Minister of the Interior for the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1920. His contributions during a turbulent period in German history were widely recognized and respected.
While the SCHWEERS surname may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals who have left their mark on various aspects of human endeavor, from commerce and literature to philosophy and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schweers
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Schweers 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 Schweers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 745
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 36
- Two or more races2.2% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schweers
Schweers 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
#29,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 787
+11 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 998 places
2020
#30,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 804
+17 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,856 | 776 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,854 | 787 | 0.27 | +11 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 998 places |
| 2020 | #30,950 | 804 | 0.27 | +17 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 1,096 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 Schweers 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 | #29,854 | #30,950 | -3.7% |
| Count | 787 | 804 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.27 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schweers bearers went from 787 to 804 (+2.2% change). The surname moved down 1,096 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,854 to #30,950.
FAQ
Schweers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schweers?
Name Census estimates that about 922 living Americans carry the surname Schweers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 371,751 residents.
How common is Schweers?
Schweers ranks #30,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 804 people with the surname Schweers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Schweers.
Has Schweers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schweers went from 787 recorded bearers to 804. That is an increase of 17 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #29,854 to #30,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Schweers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweers, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schweers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schweers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Schweers (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 Schweers mean?
A German surname derived from the word 'Schwer' meaning 'heavy' or 'difficult'. 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 Schweers (0.27 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 Schweers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.