2000
#29,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 746
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Rare Last name
Schwieterman
A German surname potentially derived from the prefix schwiet meaning 'to burn' or 'to singe.'
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,085 Americans carry the last name Schwieterman. That puts it at #27,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 315,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schwieterman 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
1.1K
1 in 315,903
Census rank
#27,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
946
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 946 bearers of the surname Schwieterman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwieterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schwieterman
The surname Schwieterman is of German origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Old German words "schwieger" meaning father-in-law, and "mann" meaning man, suggesting that the name was initially given to a man who had married into a family.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a certain Heinrich Schwieterman is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Augsburg. Another notable early reference is in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a medieval register of legal documents from the region of Württemberg, which includes an entry from 1384 mentioning a Johannes Schwieterman.
In the late 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Hans Schwieterman, a master baker and guild member in the city of Nuremberg. His name appears in several guild records and municipal documents from that time period. Another notable individual was Peter Schwieterman, a scholar and theologian who lived in the early 16th century, known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, the name seems to have spread further across Germany, with records showing Schwietermans living in various regions, including Saxony and Brandenburg. One noteworthy individual from this era was Johann Schwieterman, a respected jurist and legal scholar born in 1632 in the town of Weimar.
As the centuries progressed, members of the Schwieterman family continued to make their mark in various fields. In the 18th century, there was a Prussian military officer named Friedrich Schwieterman, who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War. Another prominent figure was the artist and engraver Johann Georg Schwieterman, born in 1732 in Nuremberg, whose works were widely recognized throughout Europe.
By the 19th century, the name had also spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where immigrants from Germany carried the surname. One of the earliest recorded Schwietermans in America was Johann Schwieterman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1748 from the Palatinate region of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schwieterman
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwieterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schwieterman 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 Schwieterman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.8% · 916
- Two or more races1.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schwieterman
Schwieterman 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
#28,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 837
+91 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 1,260 places
2020
#27,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 946
+109 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 1,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,758 | 746 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,498 | 837 | 0.28 | +91 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 1,260 places |
| 2020 | #27,055 | 946 | 0.32 | +109 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 1,443 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 Schwieterman 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 | #28,498 | #27,055 | 5.1% |
| Count | 837 | 946 | 13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.32 | 13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schwieterman bearers went from 837 to 946 (+13.0% change). The surname moved up 1,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,498 to #27,055.
FAQ
Schwieterman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schwieterman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,085 living Americans carry the surname Schwieterman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 315,903 residents.
How common is Schwieterman?
Schwieterman ranks #27,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 946 people with the surname Schwieterman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Schwieterman.
Has Schwieterman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schwieterman went from 837 recorded bearers to 946. That is an increase of 109 (+13.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #28,498 to #27,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Schwieterman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schwieterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Schwieterman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (916 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schwieterman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Schwieterman (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 Schwieterman mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the prefix schwiet meaning 'to burn' or 'to singe.' 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 Schwieterman (0.32 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 Schwieterman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.