2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smalec
A Polish surname referring to someone who produced or sold butter or lard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Smalec. 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 Smalec 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 Smalec 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 Smalec, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smalec
The surname Smalec is of Polish origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 15th-16th centuries. It is derived from the Polish word "smalec" which means lard or rendered pork fat. The name likely referred to an occupation involving the rendering or selling of lard, a common cooking ingredient during that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Smalec surname can be found in the Akta Metrykalne parish records from the town of Krakow, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Smalec residing in the area around that time.
In the 17th century, the Smalec surname appeared in various Polish historical documents, including land ownership records and taxation rolls. One notable individual from this period was Jan Smalec, a merchant and landowner from the town of Poznan, who lived from around 1620 to 1688.
During the 18th century, the Smalec name continued to be prevalent in various regions of Poland, with several families bearing the surname residing in towns such as Kielce, Lublin, and Warsaw. One prominent figure was Stanislaw Smalec, a renowned scholar and professor at the University of Krakow, who lived from 1726 to 1799.
As the 19th century dawned, the Smalec surname remained well-established in Poland, with several individuals gaining recognition in various fields. One such individual was Teodor Smalec, a celebrated Polish painter and artist who lived from 1814 to 1876 and is known for his landscape and historical paintings.
Another notable figure from this era was Józef Smalec, a Polish military officer and politician who served in the November Uprising of 1830-1831 against Russian rule. He was born in 1796 and died in 1858.
In the early 20th century, the Smalec surname continued to be prominent in Poland, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields. One such person was Wacław Smalec, a Polish engineer and inventor who lived from 1876 to 1942 and is credited with developing early television technology.
While the Smalec surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply embedded in Polish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smalec
Among Census respondents with the surname Smalec, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Smalec 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 Smalec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smalec
Smalec 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
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 488 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 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 488 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 Smalec 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 Smalec 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
Smalec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smalec?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Smalec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Smalec?
Smalec 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 Smalec. 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 Smalec.
Has Smalec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smalec 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 Smalec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smalec, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Smalec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smalec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%), Two or More Races (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 Smalec (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 Smalec mean?
A Polish surname referring to someone who produced or sold butter or lard. 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 Smalec (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 have the last name Smalec?
Want to know how many people have the surname Smalec? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.