Explore the Family Name Schlabach

The meaning of Schlabach

1. German (Westphalia): topographic name from an unidentified first element + Middle High German bach ‘creek’. 2. German: altered form of Swiss German Schlapbach, a cognate of 1 above. Compare Schlabaugh, Slabach, Slabaugh, Slaubaugh, Slayback, and Slaybaugh. History: This (see 2 above) is the name of a Swiss Mennonite and Amish family, originally spelled Schlapbach, but in the 17th century in the Palatinate, Germany, altered to Schlabach. The family originates from the canton of Bern, Switzerland, from where its members fled to the Palatinate because of religious persecution. Several Mennonite immigrants bearing the name Schlabach came to PA from Germany in the 19th century, but the first Schlabach, perhaps an Amish, was in PA in the first half of the 18th century already.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Schlabach in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Schlabach has been steadily growing in the United States. The census data from 2000 ranked Schlabach as the 8,594th most common surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 7,382nd spot - a jump of 14.1%. In terms of count, there were approximately 3,525 individuals with this surname in 2000, which then increased to 4,514 by 2010, marking a significant growth rate of 28.06%. Meanwhile, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also saw an increase of 16.79%.

20002010Change
Rank#8,594#7,38214.1%
Count3,5254,51428.06%
Proportion per 100k1.311.5316.79%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schlabach

Looking at the ethnic identity information from the same Decennial U.S. Census, the vast majority (97.83% in 2010, slightly down from 97.96% in 2000) of those bearing the Schlabach surname identify as White. The data showed a slight decline of -0.13% in the ethnic identity marked as White for this surname over ten years. Notably, the number of individuals identifying with two or more races under this surname grew by 33.33%, albeit from a small base of 0.48% in 2000 to 0.64% in 2010. Other ethnicities like Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic remained relatively consistent during this period, while Black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native categories reported no individuals with the Schlabach surname in either census year.

20002010Change
White97.96%97.83%-0.13%
Hispanic1.11%1.11%0%
Two or More Races0.48%0.64%33.33%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.23%0.22%-4.35%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%