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

Schwendinger, 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 Schwendinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schwendinger in America

Schwendinger is the 60790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schwendinger surname appeared 331 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 Schwendinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schwendinger 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 Schwendinger

The surname Schwendinger originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas of modern-day Germany and Austria. Its roots can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries.

One theory suggests that the name Schwendinger is derived from the Old High German word "swintan," which means "to burn or clear land by fire." This could indicate that the name's origins are connected to individuals who were involved in land clearing or forestry activities, potentially living in rural or mountainous areas.

Another possibility is that the name Schwendinger is a locational surname, referring to a specific place or region where the earliest bearers of this name resided. It may have originated from a place name containing the word "Schwend," which is a German term for a cleared or deforested area, often used in the context of mountain pastures or alpine meadows.

Historical records and documents from the 14th and 15th centuries mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Schwentinger, Schwendtinger, or Schwendinger. One notable example is Hans Schwendinger, a merchant from Nuremberg, Germany, who lived around the mid-15th century and was involved in trade with neighboring regions.

Another early record of the name can be found in the archives of the city of Salzburg, Austria, where a certain Michael Schwendinger is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1492. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the German-Austrian region by the late medieval period.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Schwendinger was Johann Schwendinger (1492-1559), a German theologian and Protestant reformer from Saxony. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Schwendinger name continued to be found in various parts of Germany and Austria, with some individuals attaining notable positions. For instance, Georg Schwendinger (1624-1693) was a respected jurist and legal scholar from Nuremberg, while Matthias Schwendinger (1718-1786) was a renowned architect and builder in Vienna, responsible for the construction of several churches and notable buildings.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Schwendinger surname can be traced across various regions of Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking areas, with individuals making contributions in various fields, including academia, military, and the arts.

It is important to note that while this provides an overview of the historical origins and notable bearers of the surname Schwendinger, the name's prevalence and distribution may have evolved over time due to migration, intermarriages, and other factors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schwendinger

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schwendinger, 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!