Schramm
A German surname usually linked to a nicknamed or descriptive form related to a scar, scratch, or wound.
The #4,705 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,931 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally connected with German Schramme, meaning a scratch, graze, or scar. The name likely began as a nickname for someone marked by a visible scar or injury, or more loosely for someone associated with a scratch-like mark. Older reference works also suggest this link, though they do not always agree on the exact historical pathway.
History
Schramm is a well-established German surname and also appears in related forms such as Schramme and Schrammel. It is found across German-speaking areas and later spread through migration to North America and other countries. Because the underlying word is everyday German vocabulary, the name probably arose independently in more than one place.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Schramm also survives in modern German words for a scratch or graze, which makes the surname unusually transparent in meaning.
From the historical record
“Scliradcr s. Schröter. Schramm lU. „der mit der Schramme*^. Hans Breitbeck mit der schrammen 1459. Schrandolph , Schrant s. Scrot. Schreil»er III. ahd. scribari, mhd. scribaere”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen