2000
#11,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Schwenk
A German occupational surname referring to a person who serves wine or beer, derived from the verb "schwenken," meaning "to swing or swirl."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,693 Americans carry the last name Schwenk. That puts it at #12,579 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwenk 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
2.7K
1 in 127,276
Census rank
#12,579
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,348 bearers of the surname Schwenk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12579th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwenk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwenk
The surname Schwenk originates from Germany, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "swenken," which means "to swing" or "to sway." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a water carrier or laborer, swinging buckets or bundles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Schwenk name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1300. This record mentions a certain "Conradus Schwenk" from the town of Zwickau.
In the 15th century, the Schwenk name appeared in various records across Germany, including the town of Eisleben, where Martin Luther was born in 1483. It is possible that some of Luther's contemporaries bore the Schwenk surname.
During the 16th century, a notable figure with the Schwenk name was Johannes Schwenk (1492-1568), a German theologian and reformer from Nuremberg. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and helped spread Luther's teachings throughout Bavaria.
Another historical figure was Hans Schwenk (1515-1589), a German architect and engineer who worked on numerous fortifications and military structures in the Holy Roman Empire. His most famous work is the Alte Veste fortress in Zwickau, which still stands today.
In the 17th century, the Schwenk name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was Johann Georg Schwenk (1625-1696), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Weimar.
Over time, the Schwenk surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and even Russia. Some variations of the name include Schwenck, Schwencke, and Schwenckel.
While the Schwenk name has a long and rich history in Germany, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on its origins and historical references as a surname. The use of "Schwenk" as a first or given name is not covered here.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwenk
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwenk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwenk 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 Schwenk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,206
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 54
- Two or more races2.1% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwenk
Schwenk 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
#12,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,441
-54 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 1,105 places
2020
#12,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,348
-93 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,557 | 2,495 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,662 | 2,441 | 0.83 | -54 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 1,105 places |
| 2020 | #12,579 | 2,348 | 0.79 | -93 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 83 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 Schwenk 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 | #12,662 | #12,579 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,441 | 2,348 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.79 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwenk bearers went from 2,441 to 2,348 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,662 to #12,579.
FAQ
Schwenk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwenk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,693 living Americans carry the surname Schwenk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,276 residents.
How common is Schwenk?
Schwenk ranks #12,579 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,348 people with the surname Schwenk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,693), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schwenk.
Has Schwenk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwenk went from 2,441 recorded bearers to 2,348. That is a decrease of 93 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,662 to #12,579.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwenk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwenk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Schwenk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwenk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (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 Schwenk (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 Schwenk mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who serves wine or beer, derived from the verb "schwenken," meaning "to swing or swirl." 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 Schwenk (0.79 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 Schwenk?
See how many people have the surname Schwenk on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.