Meaning and origin
The last name Schwartz originates from Germany and is derived from the German word "schwarz," meaning black. It is a common surname among Ashkenazi Jews and is likely to have been acquired as a nickname for someone with dark hair, complexion, or attire. The name's popularity spread due to Jewish immigration to various parts of the world, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#345
Schwartz was the 345th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 90,071 people, about 31 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Schwartz
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Schwartz is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.