2000
#2,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.14
Uncommon Last name
Schmid
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or smith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,536 Americans carry the last name Schmid. That puts it at #3,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schmid surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schmid with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,342
Census rank
#3,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,932 bearers of the surname Schmid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmid, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schmid
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmid, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schmid bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Schmid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 10,088
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 395
- Two or more races2.7% · 293
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 87
- Black or African American0.4% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schmid
Schmid appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,400
+240 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#3,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,932
-468 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,965 | 11,160 | 4.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,165 | 11,400 | 3.86 | +240 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #3,219 | 10,932 | 3.66 | -468 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 54 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Schmid surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,165 | #3,219 | -1.7% |
| Count | 11,400 | 10,932 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.66 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schmid bearers went from 11,400 to 10,932 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,165 to #3,219.
FAQ
Schmid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schmid?
Name Census estimates that about 12,536 living Americans carry the surname Schmid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,342 residents.
How common is Schmid?
Schmid ranks #3,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,932 people with the surname Schmid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,536), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Schmid.
Has Schmid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schmid went from 11,400 recorded bearers to 10,932. That is a decrease of 468 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,165 to #3,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Schmid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmid, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schmid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (10,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schmid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Schmid (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Schmid mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or smith. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Schmid (3.66 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Schmid?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.