UK surname

Schwab

Derived from the German occupational name for someone who worked as a swineherd or pigherd.

In the 1881 census there were 30 people recorded with the Schwab surname, ranking it #29,363 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 152, ranked #23,516, up from #29,363 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnet, Cornwall and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Schwab is 154 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 406.7%.

1881 census count

Ranked #29,363

Modern count

152

2016, ranked #23,516

Peak year

2010

154 bearers

Map years

1998 to 2016

Key insights

• Schwab had 30 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,363 surname in that year.
• The latest modern count shown here is 152 in 2016, ranked #23,516.
• Within the historical census years, the highest count was 91 in 1911.
• The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Map

Schwab surname distribution map

The map shows where the Schwab surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Schwab surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Year

Loading map

Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Schwab over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year	Period	Count	Rank
1851	historical	10	#31,497
1861	historical	20	#31,364
1881	historical	30	#29,363
1891	historical	50	#30,253
1901	historical	65	#26,917
1911	historical	91	#23,684
1997	modern	133	#22,705
1998	modern	134	#23,202
1999	modern	140	#22,789
2000	modern	135	#23,250
2001	modern	132	#23,230
2002	modern	130	#23,903
2003	modern	138	#22,823
2004	modern	142	#22,573
2005	modern	137	#23,110
2006	modern	142	#22,724
2007	modern	145	#22,693
2008	modern	136	#24,004
2009	modern	145	#23,473
2010	modern	154	#23,082
2011	modern	154	#22,886
2012	modern	142	#24,148
2013	modern	142	#24,547
2014	modern	149	#23,969
2015	modern	149	#23,817
2016	modern	152	#23,516

Geography

Where Schwabs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnet, Cornwall, Copeland and Swale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank	Parish	Area
1	No data	No data

Top modern areas

Rank	Area	District
1	Barnet 037	Barnet
2	Cornwall 061	Cornwall
3	Copeland 005	Copeland
4	Swale 001	Swale
5	Barnet 038	Barnet

Forenames

First names often paired with Schwab

These lists show first names that appear often with the Schwab surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Recent female names

Marie Jessica Claire Anne Ruth Denise Christina Dorothea Karen Sara

Recent male names

David Alexander Andrew William Martin Peter Edward John Sandor Patrick

Modern profile

Neighbourhood profile for Schwab

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Schwab, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Schwab surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Schwab household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Schwab is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Schwab is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Schwab falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Schwab is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate: White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Schwab, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Origin

Meaning and origin of Schwab

The surname Schwab has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages in regions of present-day Germany. It is derived from the German word "Schwabe," which refers to someone from the historical region of Swabia in southwestern Germany. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for individuals who hailed from or had some connection to this area.

Schwab is a variant spelling of the German word "Schwabe," and it began appearing in written records as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Salemitanus, a collection of official documents from the Benedictine monastery in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, dating back to the year 1248.

In the 14th century, the name Schwab was mentioned in the Bürgermeisterliste, a list of mayors in the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the historic region of Franconia. This suggests that individuals bearing the name had already established themselves in various parts of Germany by this time.

Over the centuries, the Schwab surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Johann Schwab (c. 1450-1510), a German cartographer and astronomer who was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Christoph Schwab (1743-1821), a German theologian and educator who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.

In the 19th century, Gustav Schwab (1792-1850) was a well-known German writer and educator who is best remembered for his adaptations of German folk tales and legends. His contemporary, Franz Xaver Schwab (1809-1869), was a German politician and statesman who served as the Minister-President of Baden from 1867 to 1869.

More recently, the name Schwab has been associated with individuals such as Charles Schwab (1937-), an American investor and financial executive who founded the Charles Schwab Corporation, one of the largest brokerage firms in the United States. Another notable figure is Klaus Schwab (1938-), a German economist and the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.

While the Schwab surname has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries. Today, individuals bearing the Schwab surname can be found in various countries, reflecting the global reach and influence of this historically significant German name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Schwab families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Schwab surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 14 Schwabs recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.83x.

County	Total	Frequency	Index
Yorkshire	14	0.00%	4.83x
Middlesex	11	0.00%	3.76x
Surrey	5	0.00%	3.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 7 Schwabs recorded in 1881 and an index of 118.85x.

Place	Total	Frequency	Index
Ecclesall Bierlow	7	0.01%	118.85x
Wakefield	7	0.03%	315.32x
Bethnal Green London	5	0.00%	39.37x
Spitalfields London	3	0.01%	136.36x
Lambeth	2	0.00%	7.84x
Southwark St George Martyr	2	0.00%	34.01x
Heston	1	0.01%	103.09x
Southwark St Saviour	1	0.01%	66.67x
St Anne Soho London	1	0.01%	59.88x
St Marylebone London	1	0.00%	6.41x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Schwab surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name	Count
Elizabeth	2
Emily	1
Evelyn	1
Harrt.	1
Margaret	1
Maria	1
Mina	1
Pauline	1
Rachel	1
Rosa	1
Sanna	1
Sophia	1
Sophie	1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Schwab surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name	Count
Harry	2
William	2
Abraham	1
Albert	1
Ferdinand	1
Frank	1
Frederick	1
Fredk.	1
Isaac	1
Jerom	1
Karl	1
Leon	1
P.	1
Wibstid	1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Schwab households.

Occupation	Count
Scholar	5
Pork Butcher	2
Apprentice To Watchmaker	1
Bakers Servant	1
Cigar Maker	1
Clockmaker	1
Cloth Cutter (Tailor)	1
Florist (Artiz)	1
Laborer	1
No Occupation	1
Nurse (Sub Med Serv)	1
Showroom Assistant (Genl Shop Keeper)	1
Steel Manufactr 80 Men 10 Boys	1
Teacher Of Music	1

FAQ

Schwab surname: questions and answers

How common was the Schwab surname in 1881?

In 1881, 30 people were recorded with the Schwab surname. That placed it at #29,363 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Schwab surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 152 in 2016. That gives Schwab a modern rank of #23,516.

What does the Schwab surname mean?