Find out how popular the last name Shonk is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shonk.

Shonk, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shonk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shonk in America

Shonk is the 21583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shonk surname appeared 1,209 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shonk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shonk to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shonk

The surname Shonk has its origins in the German region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "schonken," meaning "to pour" or "to serve." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation, such as a server or bartender.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shonk surname can be found in the town records of Zwickau, in Saxony, from the year 1342. The entry mentions a "Johannes Schonke," indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms, including "Schonck" and "Schonke," in various parts of Germany. One notable example is Hans Schonck, a merchant from Nuremberg who was born in 1437 and died in 1502.

The Shonk surname later spread to other parts of Europe, including England and the Netherlands. In England, the earliest known record of the name dates back to the 16th century, with a William Shonke mentioned in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1588.

One of the most prominent individuals with the Shonk surname was Johann Gottfried Shonk, a German composer and organist who lived from 1656 to 1734. He was known for his church music and organ compositions, which were influential in the Baroque period.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Shonk, a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1782 and died in 1849, and is known for his role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

In the 19th century, the Shonk name can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in the United States, where it was likely brought by German immigrants. One such example is Carl Shonk, a German-American businessman who was born in 1835 and founded the Shonk Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1860.

Throughout its history, the Shonk surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Schonken, a village in the German state of Hesse, and Schonkendorf, a municipality in the German state of Brandenburg.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shonk

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shonk.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shonk was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shonk has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shonk was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shonk, please contact us.

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