2000
#62,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Supernaw
A surname derived from the French phrase "sur la nau," referring to someone who lived near a boat or ship.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 345 Americans carry the last name Supernaw. That puts it at #70,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 993,491 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Supernaw 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
345
1 in 993,491
Census rank
#70,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
301
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 301 bearers of the surname Supernaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Supernaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.6%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Supernaw
The surname Supernaw originates from the German word "Supernau", which means "superior pasture" or "excellent meadow". It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, during the 16th century.
The earliest known recording of the name can be traced back to a village called Supernau, located in the district of Schwarzwald-Baar in Baden-Württemberg. This village was first mentioned in historical records dating back to the year 1532, and it is likely that the surname Supernaw derived from this place name.
In the 17th century, the Supernaw family began to migrate to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. During this time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Supernau, Supernauer, and Supernaux, among others.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Supernaw was Hans Supernaw, a farmer who lived in the village of Supernau in the late 16th century. Another notable individual was Johann Supernaw, a blacksmith who lived in the city of Stuttgart in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, some members of the Supernaw family immigrated to America, settling in various parts of the country, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. One of the first recorded Supernaws in America was Johann Gottlieb Supernaw, who was born in Württemberg, Germany, in 1738 and immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1760s.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Supernaw. For example, Charles Supernaw (1819-1892) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Stone River in 1862. Another notable figure was William Supernaw (1856-1932), who was a prominent lawyer and politician in Ohio, serving as a state senator and as a judge.
Additionally, the Supernaw name can be found in various historical records, such as church registers, census records, and military records from Germany, the Netherlands, and France, as well as in later records from the United States and other countries where the Supernaw family settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Supernaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Supernaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.6%) and Two or More Races (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Supernaw 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 Supernaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 234
- American Indian and Alaska Native10.6% · 32
- Two or more races7.3% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Supernaw
Supernaw 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
#62,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
+19 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 326 places
2020
#70,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 301
-17 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 7,244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,577 | 299 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,903 | 318 | 0.11 | +19 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 326 places |
| 2020 | #70,147 | 301 | 0.10 | -17 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 7,244 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 Supernaw 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 | #62,903 | #70,147 | -11.5% |
| Count | 318 | 301 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Supernaw bearers went from 318 to 301 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 7,244 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,903 to #70,147.
FAQ
Supernaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Supernaw?
Name Census estimates that about 345 living Americans carry the surname Supernaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 993,491 residents.
How common is Supernaw?
Supernaw ranks #70,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 301 people with the surname Supernaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Supernaw.
Has Supernaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Supernaw went from 318 recorded bearers to 301. That is a decrease of 17 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,903 to #70,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Supernaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Supernaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.6%) and Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Supernaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Supernaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (10.6%), Two or More Races (7.3%). 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 Supernaw (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 Supernaw mean?
A surname derived from the French phrase "sur la nau," referring to someone who lived near a boat or ship. 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 Supernaw (0.10 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 last name Supernaw?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Supernaw at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.