UK surname
German surname meaning "inhabitant of Swabia" or "person from Swabia region".
In the 1881 census there were 75 people recorded with the Schwabe surname, ranking it #22,893 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 22, ranked #36,533, down from #22,893 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Schwabe is 112 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 70.7%.
1881 census count
75
Ranked #22,893
Modern count
22
2016, ranked #36,533
Peak year
1901
112 bearers
Map years
1
1901 to 1901
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Schwabe surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Schwabe surname density by area, 1901 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 46 | #24,985 |
| 1861 | historical | 42 | #28,691 |
| 1881 | historical | 75 | #22,893 |
| 1891 | historical | 93 | #24,965 |
| 1901 | historical | 112 | #21,382 |
| 1911 | historical | 91 | #23,684 |
| 1997 | modern | 32 | #34,472 |
| 1998 | modern | 31 | #34,740 |
| 1999 | modern | 30 | #34,939 |
| 2000 | modern | 30 | #34,885 |
| 2001 | modern | 28 | #34,936 |
| 2002 | modern | 31 | #34,866 |
| 2003 | modern | 30 | #35,046 |
| 2004 | modern | 33 | #34,947 |
| 2005 | modern | 34 | #35,056 |
| 2006 | modern | 33 | #35,329 |
| 2007 | modern | 35 | #35,347 |
| 2008 | modern | 30 | #35,736 |
| 2009 | modern | 31 | #35,794 |
| 2010 | modern | 30 | #35,967 |
| 2011 | modern | 27 | #36,136 |
| 2012 | modern | 25 | #36,227 |
| 2013 | modern | 25 | #36,276 |
| 2014 | modern | 22 | #36,496 |
| 2015 | modern | 22 | #36,493 |
| 2016 | modern | 22 | #36,533 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Eccles and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London parishes | London 1 |
| 2 | London parishes | London 3 |
| 3 | St Pancras | London (North Districts) |
| 4 | Eccles | Lancashire |
| 5 | Manchester | Lancashire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Schwabe surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Schwabe, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Schwabe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Schwabe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Schwabe is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Schwabe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Schwabe, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Schwabe originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "swāb," which means a person from Swabia, a historic region in southwestern Germany.
The name Schwabe is thought to have first appeared in official records in the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in the year 1285, where a person named Heinricus Swabe was listed as a taxpayer. Variations of the spelling, such as Swabe and Swab, were common in these early records.
In the 14th century, the surname Schwabe appeared in several other regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Schwabe, a merchant from Leipzig who lived from 1385 to 1458.
The name Schwabe can also be linked to various place names in Germany, such as the town of Schwabach in Bavaria, which was once spelled as Swabachem in old records from the 11th century.
Among the most famous individuals with the surname Schwabe throughout history are:
1. Gottfried Schwabe (1675-1748), a German mathematician and astronomer who is credited with discovering the periodicity of sunspots. 2. Samuel Heinrich Schwabe (1789-1875), a German botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and cultivation. 3. Ernst Schwabe (1829-1893), a German industrialist and founder of the Schwabe Pharmaceutical Company, one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of homeopathic remedies in the world. 4. Georg Schwabe (1853-1926), a German writer and poet who was part of the Naturalist literary movement in the late 19th century. 5. Wilhelm Schwabe (1863-1944), a German architect known for his work in the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil styles, including the design of several iconic buildings in Berlin.
While the surname Schwabe has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has evolved with various spellings and variations over the centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Schwabe surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 29 Schwabes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire | 29 | 3.34x |
| Middlesex | 23 | 3.14x |
| Cheshire | 13 | 8.05x |
| Yorkshire | 5 | 0.69x |
| Warwickshire | 2 | 1.08x |
| Kent | 1 | 0.40x |
| Renfrewshire | 1 | 1.76x |
| Surrey | 1 | 0.28x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lymm in Cheshire leads with 9 Schwabes recorded in 1881 and an index of 769.23x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Lymm | 9 | 769.23x |
| Pendleton In Salford | 9 | 87.04x |
| Cheetham | 8 | 123.65x |
| St George Hanover | 7 | 73.30x |
| Mile End Old Town | 6 | 51.95x |
| Moss Side | 6 | 131.29x |
| Hale | 4 | 714.29x |
| St Pancras London | 4 | 6.79x |
| Clifton In York | 3 | 197.37x |
| Walton On Hill | 3 | 63.83x |
| Crumpsall | 2 | 97.56x |
| Gate Fulford | 2 | 118.34x |
| Ratcliffe London | 2 | 49.51x |
| Rugby | 2 | 80.00x |
| Barton Upon Irwell | 1 | 15.31x |
| Greenwich | 1 | 8.58x |
| Hackney London | 1 | 2.44x |
| Limehouse London | 1 | 12.45x |
| Middle Greenock | 1 | 64.52x |
| Paddington London | 1 | 3.72x |
| Putney | 1 | 30.03x |
| St Marylebone London | 1 | 2.56x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Schwabe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Schwabe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Edward | 2 |
| George | 2 |
| Herbert | 2 |
| Herman | 2 |
| Louis | 2 |
| William | 2 |
| Abraham | 1 |
| Arthur | 1 |
| August | 1 |
| Cecil | 1 |
| Charles | 1 |
| Clifford | 1 |
| Edgar | 1 |
| Edmund | 1 |
| Eustace | 1 |
| Frank | 1 |
| Frederick | 1 |
| Geoffrey | 1 |
| Godfrey | 1 |
| Henry | 1 |
| Horace | 1 |
| Hy. | 1 |
| Israel | 1 |
| Jacob | 1 |
| Julius | 1 |
| Karl | 1 |
| Laurence | 1 |
| Ludwig | 1 |
| Maurice | 1 |
| Septimus | 1 |
| Simon | 1 |
| Walter | 1 |
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 Schwabe households.
FAQ
In 1881, 75 people were recorded with the Schwabe surname. That placed it at #22,893 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 22 in 2016. That gives Schwabe a modern rank of #36,533.
German surname meaning "inhabitant of Swabia" or "person from Swabia region".
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Schwabe bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.