2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schwierking
From the German language, a locational surname referring to someone from a place with difficulty or trouble.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Schwierking. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwierking 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Schwierking in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwierking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwierking
The surname SCHWIERKING has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "schwier" meaning "difficult" or "arduous," and "king," referring to a person of authority or nobility. This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a descriptive term for someone who was considered a formidable or powerful individual.
One of the earliest known records of the SCHWIERKING name dates back to the 14th century, where it is found in a document from the town of Lübeck in northern Germany. This document mentions a certain Hinrich Schwierking, who was a merchant and landowner in the region.
In the 15th century, the SCHWIERKING name appears in several records from the Duchy of Bavaria, particularly in the city of Munich. A notable individual from this time was Hans Schwierking, who was born in 1472 and served as a master craftsman and guild leader for the city's stonemasons.
The SCHWIERKING name also has connections to the region of Saxony, where it is found in records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One example is Johannes Schwierking, who was born in 1589 in the town of Freiberg and became a respected theologian and author, publishing several works on religious topics.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the SCHWIERKING name was Friedrich Wilhelm Schwierking, who was born in 1742 in the city of Hamburg. He was a successful merchant and trader, and his family's wealth and influence allowed them to acquire several estates in the surrounding areas.
Another notable individual was Karl Schwierking, born in 1801 in the town of Braunschweig, who became a renowned military officer and served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was awarded several honors for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Over the centuries, variations of the SCHWIERKING name have included spellings such as Schwierking, Schwierkingh, and Schwierkinck, reflecting the regional dialects and language changes that occurred across different parts of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwierking
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwierking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwierking 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 Schwierking surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwierking
Schwierking appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Schwierking 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwierking bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Schwierking surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwierking?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Schwierking. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Schwierking?
Schwierking ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Schwierking. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Schwierking.
Has Schwierking become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwierking went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwierking?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwierking, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Schwierking in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwierking appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Schwierking (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 Schwierking mean?
From the German language, a locational surname referring to someone from a place with difficulty or trouble. 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 Schwierking (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 share the surname Schwierking?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.