2000
#16,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Smail
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a maker of small goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,815 Americans carry the last name Smail. That puts it at #12,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smail 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 Smail with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,760
Census rank
#12,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,455 bearers of the surname Smail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smail, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smail
The surname SMAIL is of Scottish origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "smael," meaning "slender" or "small." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for a person of slight build.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In this historical record, the name appears as "Smale," reflecting an earlier spelling variation.
During the 14th century, the name SMAIL began to appear in various Scottish records and charters, indicating its widespread use across the region. For instance, a John Smale is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1327, and a William Smale is documented in the Bute Charters of 1390.
The name also has connections to certain place names, such as Smail Burn, a stream located in the Scottish Borders region. This association suggests that the surname may have originated from a particular location or geographic feature.
Notable individuals bearing the SMAIL surname include:
1. John Smail (1795-1867), a Scottish agriculturist and writer who authored several works on farming practices.
2. Henry Smail (1829-1906), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
3. Robert Smail (1833-1909), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Smail Watch Case Company in Brooklyn, New York.
4. Jessie Smail (1856-1935), a Scottish painter and member of the Glasgow Girls, a collective of female artists from the late 19th century.
5. Thomas Smail (1890-1969), a Scottish minister and theologian known for his works on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Christian spirituality.
Throughout its history, the SMAIL surname has been found in various spellings, including Smale, Smaille, and Smeal, reflecting regional variations and language changes over time. Despite these variations, the name's Scottish origins and connection to descriptive characteristics or place names have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smail
Among Census respondents with the surname Smail, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Smail 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 Smail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 1,911
- Black or African American12.1% · 296
- Two or more races3.7% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smail
Smail 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
#3,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,097
+7,432 bearers (+446.4%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Up 12,110 places
2020
#12,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,455
-6,642 bearers (-73.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 8,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,010 | 1,665 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,900 | 9,097 | 3.08 | +7,432 bearers (+446.4%) | Up 12,110 places |
| 2020 | #12,118 | 2,455 | 0.82 | -6,642 bearers (-73.0%) | Down 8,218 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 Smail 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 | #3,900 | #12,118 | -210.7% |
| Count | 9,097 | 2,455 | -73.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 0.82 | -73.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smail bearers went from 9,097 to 2,455 (-73.0% change). The surname moved down 8,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,900 to #12,118.
FAQ
Smail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smail?
Name Census estimates that about 2,815 living Americans carry the surname Smail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,760 residents.
How common is Smail?
Smail ranks #12,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,455 people with the surname Smail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Smail.
Has Smail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smail went from 9,097 recorded bearers to 2,455. That is a decrease of 6,642 (-73.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,900 to #12,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Smail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smail, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Smail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (1,911 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Smail (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 Smail mean?
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a maker of small goods. 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 Smail (0.82 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 share the surname Smail?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.