2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schweninger
A German surname derived from the Swiss place name Schwenningen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 175 Americans carry the last name Schweninger. That puts it at #119,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,958,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schweninger 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
175
1 in 1,958,596
Census rank
#119,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
153
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153 bearers of the surname Schweninger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schweninger
The surname Schweninger is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the southern regions of Germany, particularly Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, during the late medieval period.
The name Schweninger is believed to be derived from the German word "Schweiniger," which referred to someone who raised or traded in swine (pigs). This occupation-based surname likely originated in rural areas where pig farming was a common livelihood.
While there are no definitive historical records that mention the earliest bearers of the Schweninger name, it is likely that the surname emerged during the 13th or 14th century when the practice of adopting hereditary surnames became more widespread in German-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Schweninger name can be found in the 1497 tax records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Schweninger is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Schweninger name was Johann Schweninger (c. 1520-1585), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who served as a pastor in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Another early figure with the Schweninger surname was Matthias Schweninger (1572-1637), a German composer and organist who was active in the early Baroque period and served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
During the 17th century, the Schweninger name appeared in various church records and legal documents in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, indicating the family's continued presence in these areas.
In the 19th century, one notable bearer of the Schweninger surname was Friedrich Schweninger (1819-1893), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in southern Germany.
Another individual of note was Karl Schweninger (1854-1924), a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automobiles and internal combustion engines.
As the Schweninger family spread across German-speaking regions and beyond, variations in spelling and pronunciation likely emerged, such as Schweininger, Schweninger, and Schweiniger. However, the core meaning and origin of the surname remained rooted in the occupation of pig farming or trading.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schweninger
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schweninger 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 Schweninger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 142
- Two or more races4.6% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schweninger
Schweninger 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+15 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,127 places
2020
#119,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+9 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 615 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 3,127 places |
| 2020 | #119,572 | 153 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 615 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 Schweninger 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 | #120,187 | #119,572 | 0.5% |
| Count | 144 | 153 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schweninger bearers went from 144 to 153 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 615 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #119,572.
FAQ
Schweninger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schweninger?
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the surname Schweninger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,958,596 residents.
How common is Schweninger?
Schweninger ranks #119,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 153 people with the surname Schweninger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Schweninger.
Has Schweninger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schweninger went from 144 recorded bearers to 153. That is an increase of 9 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #120,187 to #119,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Schweninger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schweninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Schweninger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schweninger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Schweninger (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 Schweninger mean?
A German surname derived from the Swiss place name Schwenningen. 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 Schweninger (0.05 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 are called Schweninger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Schweninger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.