The Schenk surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,651 people carried this name — #4,637 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,600 people counted. That is up 1% from 7,575 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Schenk surname
Borrowed from Dutch and German Schenk.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Schenk» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
4,609 people named Schenk live in Switzerland.
They live in 25 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 213 people named Schenk.
57 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 31 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
191 people named Schenk have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 304 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 141 people named Schenk live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 116 people named Schenk live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
98 people named Schenk are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Schenk in American newspapers,
1911.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 43,669 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Schenk,
with a public archive behind them.
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Emil Schenk d. 1943 · cellist -
Thillmann von Schenk d. 1769 · military personnel
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W.A. Schenk d. 1889 · military personnel
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Heinrich Traugott Schenk d. 1816 · pastor
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Constantin Schenk d. 1850 · lawyer
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Agatha Schenk d. 1731
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Schenk.
- Schellinger 422 · U.S. census
- Schembri 723 · U.S. census
- Schemel 361 · U.S. census
- Schemmel 675 · U.S. census
- Schena 675 · U.S. census
- Schenck 6,245 · U.S. census
- Schenkel 1,548 · U.S. census
- Schenker 1,155 · U.S. census
- Schepens 132 · U.S. census
- Schepers 1,087 · U.S. census
- Scheppler 198 · U.S. census
- Scher 3,222 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Schenk is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.