2000
#12,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Swartzentruber
A German occupational surname derived from Schwarztrauber, meaning "black grape harvester" or someone who grew dark grapes for winemaking.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,398 Americans carry the last name Swartzentruber. That puts it at #8,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swartzentruber 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
4.4K
1 in 77,934
Census rank
#8,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,835 bearers of the surname Swartzentruber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartzentruber, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swartzentruber
The surname SWARTZENTRUBER originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically Switzerland and Germany, during the 16th and 17th centuries. It is an Anabaptist name derived from the German words "schwarz" (meaning black) and "Truppenführer" (meaning troop leader or military commander). This suggests that the name may have originated from a military leader or soldier with a dark complexion or attire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SWARTZENTRUBER name can be found in the Swiss Anabaptist chronicles of the late 16th century. These chronicles document the persecution and migration of Anabaptist communities across Europe, including members bearing the SWARTZENTRUBER name.
In the 17th century, the SWARTZENTRUBER family was among the Amish and Mennonite communities that emigrated from Switzerland and southern Germany to the Palatinate region of present-day Germany and France. This migration was driven by religious persecution and the search for greater religious freedom.
Notable individuals with the SWARTZENTRUBER surname include Johann SWARTZENTRUBER (1550-1622), a prominent Anabaptist leader and theologian from Switzerland, and Michael SWARTZENTRUBER (1618-1687), a Swiss Anabaptist minister who played a crucial role in the establishment of Amish settlements in the Palatinate region.
In the 18th century, many SWARTZENTRUBER families joined the wave of Amish and Mennonite emigration from Europe to the American colonies, settling in areas such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. One notable figure from this period was Jacob SWARTZENTRUBER (1733-1809), a respected Amish bishop who led a group of Amish settlers from Germany to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the late 1700s.
Another prominent individual was Christian SWARTZENTRUBER (1789-1867), an Amish minister and leader in Holmes County, Ohio, who played a significant role in the establishment and growth of the Amish community in that region.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the SWARTZENTRUBER name remained closely associated with the Amish communities in various parts of the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Individuals such as Joseph SWARTZENTRUBER (1832-1913), an influential Amish bishop in Holmes County, Ohio, and Jonas SWARTZENTRUBER (1860-1937), a respected Amish minister and author from Indiana, contributed to the preservation and propagation of Amish traditions and teachings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swartzentruber
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartzentruber, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Swartzentruber 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 Swartzentruber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 3,770
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 24
- Two or more races0.6% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swartzentruber
Swartzentruber 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
#9,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,453
+1,217 bearers (+54.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
2020
#8,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,835
+382 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 1,146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,686 | 2,236 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,418 | 3,453 | 1.17 | +1,217 bearers (+54.4%) | Up 3,268 places |
| 2020 | #8,272 | 3,835 | 1.28 | +382 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 1,146 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 Swartzentruber 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 | #9,418 | #8,272 | 12.2% |
| Count | 3,453 | 3,835 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.28 | 9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swartzentruber bearers went from 3,453 to 3,835 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 1,146 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,418 to #8,272.
FAQ
Swartzentruber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swartzentruber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,398 living Americans carry the surname Swartzentruber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,934 residents.
How common is Swartzentruber?
Swartzentruber ranks #8,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,835 people with the surname Swartzentruber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Swartzentruber.
Has Swartzentruber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swartzentruber went from 3,453 recorded bearers to 3,835. That is an increase of 382 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,418 to #8,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Swartzentruber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartzentruber, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Swartzentruber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (3,770 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swartzentruber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (0.6%), Two or More Races (0.6%). 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 Swartzentruber (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 Swartzentruber mean?
A German occupational surname derived from Schwarztrauber, meaning "black grape harvester" or someone who grew dark grapes for winemaking. 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 Swartzentruber (1.28 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 Americans have the surname Swartzentruber?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.