Schumann
A German surname meaning “shoemaker” or “cobbler’s man,” built from the trade name and the word for “man.”
The #5,162 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,558 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schumann is a German occupational surname formed from Schuh meaning “shoe” and Mann meaning “man.” In older German naming patterns, it could refer to a shoemaker or someone connected with that trade, functioning much like the related surname Schumacher. The form is transparent in meaning, even if in some cases it may have been reinforced or shortened from a longer craft name.
History
The name is widespread in German-speaking areas and belongs to the large class of surnames created from medieval trades. Historical surname dictionaries treat it as a close cousin of Schumacher and other shoe-making names. It also travelled beyond Germany through migration, and today it is found in German diaspora communities as well as in Germany itself.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The composer Robert Schumann is one of the best-known bearers of the name, which helped make it internationally familiar.
From the historical record
“macheit, O.H.Ger. mahhSn, to make] SCHUMANN (Ger.) Shoemaker [see under Schumacher; and -|- mann, man] SCHUSTER (Ger.) Shoemaker [M.H.Ger. schuoch-, schuoh-sAtare; Lat. sutor, cobbler] SCHUTZ (Ger.) Archer; Ranger [Ger. schUtz{e, (mod.) marksman, rifleman, archer, &c.; M.H.Ger. schiitze; O.H.Ger. scuzzo]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)