2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schwemin
A surname of German origin indicating someone from the town of Schwemin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Schwemin. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwemin 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Schwemin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwemin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwemin
The surname SCHWEMIN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period of the 13th to 15th centuries. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly derived from the Old German word "swein," meaning a herdsman or swineherd, combined with the suffix "-in," indicating a place of residence or origin.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various regions of northern and eastern Germany, particularly in areas around modern-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg. Some historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Schwemyn, Schwemmin, or Schwemmyn.
One notable figure associated with this surname was Hans Schwemin, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Stralsund, located in modern-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, during the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the local trade and politics of the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Schwemin, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (circa 1520-1589). He was a vocal advocate of the Protestant Reformation and wrote several treatises on religious doctrine and theology.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Brandenburg, where a family of landowners and nobility bearing the name Schwemin held considerable influence and wealth. One notable member was Friedrich von Schwemin (1622-1697), a Prussian military commander who served under the Great Elector Frederick William during the Thirty Years' War.
The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Christian Schwemin (1714-1788), a renowned German composer and organist from the city of Magdeburg. His works, which included sacred choral pieces and organ compositions, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of the Baroque musical tradition in Germany.
Another notable figure with this surname was Karl Schwemin (1856-1931), a German-born architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the development of cities in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban developments in cities such as St. Louis, Missouri, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwemin
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwemin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwemin 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 Schwemin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 93
- Two or more races9.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwemin
Schwemin 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,418 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,418 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,292 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 Schwemin 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 | #148,347 | #151,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwemin bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #151,639.
FAQ
Schwemin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwemin?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Schwemin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Schwemin?
Schwemin ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Schwemin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Schwemin.
Has Schwemin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwemin went from 111 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwemin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwemin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schwemin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwemin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (9.3%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schwemin (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 Schwemin mean?
A surname of German origin indicating someone from the town of Schwemin. 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 Schwemin (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Schwemin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.