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

Schmeling, 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 Schmeling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schmeling in America

Schmeling is the 17319th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schmeling surname appeared 1,634 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Schmeling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schmeling 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 Schmeling

The surname SCHMELING is of German origin, derived from the occupational name for a person who worked as a blacksmith or metalworker. It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century, in various regions of modern-day Germany.

The name is derived from the Middle High German word "smit," meaning "to strike" or "to forge," combined with the suffix "-ling," which denotes a person associated with a particular activity or occupation. The earliest recorded spelling variations include "Schmidlinc," "Schmideling," and "Schmiedelinc."

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a certain "Henricus Smedeling" was mentioned in a document dated 1292. Another early record comes from the town of Aachen, where a "Johannes Schmideling" was listed in a tax register from 1368.

As the name spread throughout Germany, it took on various regional spellings and variations, such as "Schmeling," "Schmieling," and "Schmehling." Some of the earliest recorded instances of these variations include a "Hermannus Schmeling" in Lübeck in 1402 and a "Conradus Schmieling" in Mainz in 1437.

One notable bearer of the SCHMELING surname was Max Schmeling (1905-2005), a famous German boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1930 to 1932. He is particularly remembered for his victories over Joe Louis in 1936 and their rematch in 1938, which was dubbed the "Fight of the Century."

Other individuals with the SCHMELING surname throughout history include Johann Gottlieb Schmeling (1707-1762), a German organist and composer; Friedrich Wilhelm Schmeling (1808-1885), a German philologist and educator; and Otto Schmeling (1858-1929), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.

Additionally, the name has been associated with various places and locations in Germany, such as the village of Schmeling in Saxony-Anhalt and the Schmeling Castle in Hesse, both of which likely derived their names from early residents or landowners with the SCHMELING surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schmeling

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

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 Schmeling 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 Schmeling 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 Schmeling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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