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

Schmid, 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 Schmid surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schmid in America

Schmid is the 3165th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schmid surname appeared 11,400 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Schmid.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schmid 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 Schmid

The surname Schmid is of German origin and derived from the German word "Schmied," which means "blacksmith." It first appeared in the late Middle Ages, between the 12th and 15th centuries, in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland.

The name's earliest recorded use can be traced back to medieval records and documents, such as tax rolls and guild registries. One of the earliest known references to the name Schmid can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 9th-century cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

During the Middle Ages, the Schmid surname was often associated with the blacksmith trade, as it referred to those who worked as skilled metalworkers, crafting tools, weapons, and other iron objects. The name likely originated as a descriptive occupational surname, identifying individuals by their profession or trade.

The Schmid surname has been found in various historical records throughout the centuries, including the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the Schmid surname itself is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, variations such as "Smid" and "Smyth" appear, reflecting the spread of the name across different regions and languages.

Notable individuals with the surname Schmid throughout history include:

1. Michael Schmid (c. 1510-c. 1580), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
2. Matthias Schmid (1835-1923), an Austrian painter renowned for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Christoph Schmid (1768-1854), a German author and educator known for his popular children's books and moral tales.
4. Johann Schmid (1892-1981), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and achieved the rank of General der Panzertruppe.
5. Johann Nepomuk Schmid (1724-1809), an Austrian composer and organist of the Classical period.

The Schmid surname has also been associated with various place names and their older spellings, such as Schmidmühlen (an old name for a village in Bavaria) and Schmidheide (a former settlement near Celle, Lower Saxony).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schmid

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

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

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

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