2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schwengler
An old German surname meaning "maker of barrel hoops or barrel staves."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Schwengler. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwengler 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Schwengler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwengler
The surname Schwengler is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "swengelen" which means "to swing" or "to oscillate." This name likely originated in the 13th or 14th century and was initially an occupational surname, referring to someone who swung or operated a swing-based device, such as a mill, a crane, or a catapult.
The earliest known record of the name Schwengler can be found in the town of Augsburg, in the German state of Bavaria, dating back to the mid-15th century. In a historical document from 1461, a craftsman named Hans Schwengler was mentioned as a resident of the city.
The name Schwengler has also been found in various forms throughout the centuries, such as Schwengeler, Schwengter, and Schwengter. These variations are likely due to regional dialects and the evolution of the German language over time.
One notable figure bearing the Schwengler surname was Johann Schwengler, a German theologian and writer who lived in the 16th century (1492-1571). He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and authored several religious works that were influential in his time.
Another historical figure was Friedrich Schwengler (1718-1786), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He worked as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and published several influential works on astronomy and mathematics.
In the 19th century, Carl Schwengler (1824-1893) was a German-American architect who emigrated to the United States and designed several notable buildings in the Midwest, including churches, schools, and public buildings.
The Schwengler name also appeared in historical records in Switzerland, where a family of that name settled in the canton of Bern in the 16th century. One member of this Swiss branch, Hans Jakob Schwengler (1603-1672), was a prominent clockmaker and inventor, known for his innovations in timepiece mechanisms.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Schwengler (1879-1952), a German painter and artist who was part of the Expressionist movement in the early 20th century. His works, often depicting scenes of rural life and landscapes, are found in various museums and galleries throughout Germany.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the Schwengler surname, which has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe and has been associated with various professions and accomplishments over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwengler
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwengler 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 Schwengler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwengler
Schwengler 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,220 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,805 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 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,220 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 4,805 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 Schwengler 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 | #143,149 | #147,954 | -3.4% |
| Count | 116 | 112 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwengler bearers went from 116 to 112 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 4,805 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,954.
FAQ
Schwengler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwengler?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Schwengler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Schwengler?
Schwengler ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Schwengler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Schwengler.
Has Schwengler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwengler went from 116 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwengler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Schwengler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwengler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (12.5%), Black (0.9%). 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 Schwengler (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 Schwengler mean?
An old German surname meaning "maker of barrel hoops or barrel staves." 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 Schwengler (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 Schwengler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.