2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Schwettman
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or indicating one's occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Schwettman. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwettman 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Schwettman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwettman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwettman
The surname Schwettman is of German origin, deriving from the Low German word "swetten," which means "to perspire" or "to sweat." It likely originated as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked in physically demanding professions that caused perspiration, such as blacksmiths, furnace workers, or miners.
Records indicate that the name first appeared in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where Low German dialects were spoken. The earliest known written reference to the name Schwettman dates back to the late 15th century in the town archives of Hannover.
In the 16th century, the name Schwettman appeared in various historical documents across northern Germany, including church records and town registers. One notable mention is in the "Bürgerbuch" (citizen book) of the city of Bremen, where a certain Hans Schwettman was listed as a resident in 1567.
Over time, the name underwent minor spelling variations, such as Schwetmann, Schwettmann, and Schwetman, reflecting regional dialectal differences and the influence of scribes who recorded the name.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the name Schwettman was Johann Schwettman, a master blacksmith born in Lüneburg in 1624. His descendants continued the family trade for several generations, contributing to the local economy and community.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Schwettman (1712-1786), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Hamburg. His wealth and influence allowed him to establish a successful trading company that operated across northern Europe.
Another individual of note was Carl Schwettman (1821-1892), a German-born engineer who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He played a crucial role in the construction of several railroads and bridges in the American Midwest, leaving a lasting impact on the region's infrastructure.
In the late 19th century, the name Schwettman gained recognition through the accomplishments of August Schwettman (1862-1938), a renowned German botanist and horticulturist. He authored several influential works on plant taxonomy and introduced numerous new plant species to European gardens.
While the surname Schwettman is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich historical legacy rooted in the northern regions of the country, with various individuals bearing the name leaving their mark across different fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwettman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwettman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwettman 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 Schwettman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwettman
Schwettman 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-8 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 12,262 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-21 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | -8 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 12,262 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 19,719 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 Schwettman 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 | #121,590 | #141,309 | -16.2% |
| Count | 142 | 121 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwettman bearers went from 142 to 121 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 19,719 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #141,309.
FAQ
Schwettman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwettman?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Schwettman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Schwettman?
Schwettman ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Schwettman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Schwettman.
Has Schwettman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwettman went from 142 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 21 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwettman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwettman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schwettman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwettman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Schwettman (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 Schwettman mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or indicating one's occupation. 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 Schwettman (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 people have the surname Schwettman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.