Find out how popular the last name Schmidt is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schmidt.

Schmidt, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schmidt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schmidt in America

Schmidt is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schmidt surname appeared 132 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schmidt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schmidt to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schmidt

The surname Schmidt is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "smit," meaning a blacksmith or metalworker. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, during the heyday of the Germanic blacksmithing trade.

The name was initially an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers. As these skilled craftsmen were highly valued in medieval society, their surnames gained prominence and were passed down through generations.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared as "Smit" or "Smyt" in various German regions. Over time, it evolved into the more recognizable "Schmidt" spelling, which became widely adopted across German-speaking areas.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a person named "Hermannus Smit" is mentioned in a document dated 1292.

Another notable early reference is in the Stadtbuch von Freiberg, a city book from the town of Freiberg, Saxony, which includes entries for individuals with the surname Schmidt dating back to the 14th century.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the Schmidt surname. One of the most renowned is Erasmus Schmidt (1570-1637), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics.

Another prominent Schmidt was Johann Andreas Schmidt (1652-1726), a German organist and composer who played a crucial role in the development of the Baroque musical tradition.

In the realm of literature, the German writer Arno Schmidt (1914-1979) is considered one of the most important novelists of the 20th century, known for his innovative and experimental writing style.

The name Schmidt has also been associated with several notable scientists, including Otto Schmitt (1913-1998), a biophysicist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of biomedical engineering, and Albert Schmidt (1876-1938), a German chemist who developed the Schmidt reaction, a chemical process widely used in organic synthesis.

Furthermore, the surname has been carried by numerous artists and performers, such as the German-American actor Helmut Berger (1944-), known for his roles in films by renowned directors like Luchino Visconti and Francis Ford Coppola.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schmidt

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schmidt.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schmidt was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schmidt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schmidt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schmidt, please contact us.

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