2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schmittgens
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from "Schmit" meaning smith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Schmittgens. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schmittgens 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Schmittgens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmittgens, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schmittgens
The surname SCHMITTGENS is of German origin, with its earliest known roots traced back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have evolved from the Middle High German words "smit" and "gen," which translate to "smith" and "child of," respectively. This suggests that SCHMITTGENS may have initially referred to the offspring of a blacksmith or metalworker.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name SCHMITTGENS appeared in various parish records and local documents across southern Germany. One notable mention is found in the 1587 registry of the town of Augsburg, which lists a certain Johann SCHMITTGENS as a resident ironmonger.
In the 18th century, the SCHMITTGENS name began to spread beyond Bavaria, with families bearing this surname documented in neighboring regions such as Württemberg and the Rhineland. This dispersal was likely facilitated by the economic and social upheavals of the time, which prompted many individuals to seek opportunities elsewhere.
One of the earliest documented SCHMITTGENS of note was Friedrich SCHMITTGENS, a Lutheran theologian born in Nuremberg in 1692. His influential treatise, "De Vera Ecclesia" ("On the True Church"), published in 1725, was widely read and debated among Protestant scholars of the era.
Another prominent figure was the 19th-century Prussian military officer Wilhelm SCHMITTGENS, who served with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected strategist and author on military tactics. He was born in 1784 in the city of Cologne and died in 1857.
The 20th century saw the rise of several accomplished individuals bearing the SCHMITTGENS name, including the German-American architect and urban planner Walter SCHMITTGENS (1890-1972), whose innovative designs for public housing projects in New York City and other major urban centers earned him widespread acclaim.
Additionally, there was the German scientist and inventor Karl SCHMITTGENS (1912-1998), who made significant contributions to the field of aeronautics and held numerous patents for innovative aircraft designs and technologies.
Lastly, the Dutch artist and sculptor Jozef SCHMITTGENS (1904-1988) gained international recognition for his abstract expressionist works, which were heavily influenced by his experiences during World War II and the post-war reconstruction period in Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schmittgens
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmittgens, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schmittgens 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 Schmittgens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schmittgens
Schmittgens 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,432 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-16 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,432 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 14,685 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 Schmittgens 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 | #138,304 | #152,989 | -10.6% |
| Count | 121 | 105 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schmittgens bearers went from 121 to 105 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 14,685 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,989.
FAQ
Schmittgens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schmittgens?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Schmittgens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Schmittgens?
Schmittgens ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Schmittgens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schmittgens.
Has Schmittgens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schmittgens went from 121 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Schmittgens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmittgens, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Schmittgens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schmittgens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Schmittgens (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 Schmittgens mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from "Schmit" meaning smith or metalworker. 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 Schmittgens (0.04 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 are called Schmittgens?
You can see how common the surname Schmittgens is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.