Schall
A German surname that is most likely either a nickname for a noisy person or a name shaped by words for “sound” or “resonance.”
The #8,679 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,549 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Schall is generally connected with German Schall, meaning “sound,” “noise,” or “echo.” As a family name, it was likely first used as a nickname for someone associated with loudness, a striking voice, or some other sound-related trait. In some historical surname studies, names of this form are also treated as part of a wider German pattern of short descriptive surnames.
History
The name is found in German-speaking areas and also appears in older English and continental surname reference works as a German surname form. In modern records it occurs in Germany and in countries shaped by German migration, including the United States. The spelling is stable, though related forms such as Schell and Schallisch also appear in historical sources.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because schall means “sound” or “noise,” the surname has a very literal, almost onomatopoeic feel in German.
From the historical record
“cloth. Dim. Hap-km. ' Napet or napekyn'; Prompt. Parv. 'The over nape schall double be layde ' : The Bokc ofCurtasyc. Thus the naper or napier had charge of the tablC'Knen ; whence also the form 'de la naperye,' corresponding to 'de la paneterie,' 'de 1e curene,'”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances