2000
#65,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 284
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Schwendinger
A habitational surname derived from a Swiss village name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 386 Americans carry the last name Schwendinger. That puts it at #63,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 887,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwendinger 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
386
1 in 887,965
Census rank
#63,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
337
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 337 bearers of the surname Schwendinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwendinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwendinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwendinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwendinger 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 Schwendinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 320
- Two or more races2.4% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwendinger
Schwendinger 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
#60,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
+47 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 4,508 places
2020
#63,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 337
+6 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,298 | 284 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,790 | 331 | 0.11 | +47 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 4,508 places |
| 2020 | #63,879 | 337 | 0.11 | +6 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 3,089 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 Schwendinger 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 | #60,790 | #63,879 | -5.1% |
| Count | 331 | 337 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwendinger bearers went from 331 to 337 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 3,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,790 to #63,879.
FAQ
Schwendinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwendinger?
Name Census estimates that about 386 living Americans carry the surname Schwendinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 887,965 residents.
How common is Schwendinger?
Schwendinger ranks #63,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 337 people with the surname Schwendinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (386), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Schwendinger.
Has Schwendinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwendinger went from 331 recorded bearers to 337. That is an increase of 6 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,790 to #63,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwendinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwendinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (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 Schwendinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwendinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (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 Schwendinger (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 Schwendinger mean?
A habitational surname derived from a Swiss village 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 Schwendinger (0.11 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 common is the surname Schwendinger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Schwendinger is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.