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 185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schmidt surname appeared 147,034 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 50 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 originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "Schmied," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." It was a common occupational surname given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers.

Schmidt is one of the most common surnames in Germany, particularly in the northern and central regions. It is also prevalent in neighboring countries like Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe, where German influence and migration have been significant.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Schmidt can be found in medieval German records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a certain Johannes Schmidt in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1275.

While the surname Schmidt did not appear in the Domesday Book (a record of landowners in England in 1086), there are mentions of individuals with similar occupational surnames, such as Faber (Latin for "blacksmith") and Ferrum (Latin for "iron").

Some notable historical figures with the surname Schmidt include:

1. Erasmus Schmidt (1570-1637), a German mathematician and astronomer known for his contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits.
2. Bernhard Schmidt (1879-1935), a German optician and inventor of the Schmidt camera, widely used in astronomy.
3. Albert Schmidt (1841-1923), a German chemist best known for his work on the synthesis of organic compounds.
4. Arno Schmidt (1914-1979), a renowned German writer and translator, celebrated for his avant-garde novels and experimental writing style.
5. Otto Schmitt (1913-1998), a German-American biophysicist and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of electronic circuits and medical devices.

The surname Schmidt has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Germany and neighboring regions. Examples include Schmidtstadt (a town in Saxony), Schmidtmühlen (a village in Bavaria), and Schmidtburg (a castle in Thuringia).

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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