2000
#47,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Schnick
A surname with German origins, potentially derived from a nickname or occupation related to cutting or slicing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 413 Americans carry the last name Schnick. That puts it at #60,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 829,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schnick 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
413
1 in 829,914
Census rank
#60,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
360
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 360 bearers of the surname Schnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schnick
The surname "SCHNICK" is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "schnick," which means "sharp" or "piercing." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or a metalworker.
The earliest known record of the name "SCHNICK" appears in a registry of births and deaths in the town of Freiburg, located in the southern part of Germany, in the year 1587. The name was also found in various other historical records from the region, such as church registries and land ownership documents.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "SCHNICK" was Johannes Schnick, who was born in the village of Unterkirnach, in the Black Forest region of Germany, in 1612. He was a prominent metalworker and is believed to have been one of the first to use the surname in its current spelling.
Another notable individual with the surname "SCHNICK" was Friedrich Schnick, a German soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in the town of Rottweil in 1620 and served in the army of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 18th century, the name "SCHNICK" appeared in several records from the town of Heidelberg, where a family of blacksmiths and metalworkers lived. One of the members of this family, Heinrich Schnick, born in 1742, was known for his exceptional skill in crafting swords and other weapons.
During the 19th century, the surname "SCHNICK" spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One notable figure from this period was Anna Schnick, a renowned painter from the city of Munich, who was born in 1825 and is known for her landscape paintings of the Bavarian countryside.
Another individual worth mentioning is Karl Schnick, a German philosopher and writer who lived in the late 19th century. He was born in the city of Leipzig in 1861 and is known for his works on ethics and social philosophy.
Over the centuries, the surname "SCHNICK" has been associated with various professions, including metalworkers, blacksmiths, artists, and intellectuals. While the name may have originated from a specific occupation, it has since become a widespread surname in Germany and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schnick 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 Schnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 344
- Two or more races2.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schnick
Schnick 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
#68,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 285
-134 bearers (-32.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 21,374 places
2020
#60,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
+75 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 8,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,575 | 419 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,949 | 285 | 0.10 | -134 bearers (-32.0%) | Down 21,374 places |
| 2020 | #60,433 | 360 | 0.12 | +75 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 8,516 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 Schnick 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 | #68,949 | #60,433 | 12.4% |
| Count | 285 | 360 | 26.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.12 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schnick bearers went from 285 to 360 (+26.3% change). The surname moved up 8,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,949 to #60,433.
FAQ
Schnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schnick?
Name Census estimates that about 413 living Americans carry the surname Schnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 829,914 residents.
How common is Schnick?
Schnick ranks #60,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 360 people with the surname Schnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Schnick.
Has Schnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schnick went from 285 recorded bearers to 360. That is an increase of 75 (+26.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #68,949 to #60,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Schnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (344 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Schnick (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 Schnick mean?
A surname with German origins, potentially derived from a nickname or occupation related to cutting or slicing. 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 Schnick (0.12 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 are called Schnick?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Schnick, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.