2000
#1,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.76
Uncommon Last name
Smallwood
Derived from a place name or topographical feature referring to a small forest or woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,184 Americans carry the last name Smallwood. That puts it at #2,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smallwood 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 Smallwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,981
Census rank
#2,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,601 bearers of the surname Smallwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smallwood
The surname Smallwood is an English surname that originated in the medieval period. It is a locational name, meaning it derived from a place name where the original bearers once lived or held land. In this case, the name refers to someone who lived near a small wood or forest.
The name is composed of two Old English words: "smæl" meaning small or little, and "wudu" meaning a wood or forest. It was common practice in medieval times for people to adopt surnames based on their place of residence, occupation, or a notable physical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Smallwood can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, where it is recorded as "Smalewod". This suggests that the name was already established by the 13th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as "Smalewood" in Somerset and "Smallwood" in Cheshire. These may have been the original locations from which the surname derived.
Notable individuals with the surname Smallwood throughout history include:
1. William Smallwood (1732-1792), an American general who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
2. John Smallwood (c. 1634-1719), an English Quaker and early settler of Maryland, who was a prominent landowner and merchant.
3. Nathaniel Smallwood (1770-1838), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club in the early 19th century.
4. Charles Smallwood (1812-1873), an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
5. Phyllis Smallwood (1922-2008), a British botanist and plant collector who contributed significantly to the study of African flora.
The surname Smallwood can also be found in various place names, such as Smallwood in Cheshire, England, and Smallwood, Maryland, in the United States, which was likely named after the early Quaker settler, John Smallwood.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smallwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Smallwood 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 Smallwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.0% · 11,608
- Black or African American24.4% · 4,292
- Two or more races5.3% · 933
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 526
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smallwood
Smallwood 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
#1,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,717
+490 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.35
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#2,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,601
-1,116 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,811 | 18,227 | 6.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,926 | 18,717 | 6.35 | +490 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #2,008 | 17,601 | 5.89 | -1,116 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 82 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 Smallwood 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 | #1,926 | #2,008 | -4.3% |
| Count | 18,717 | 17,601 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.35 | 5.89 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smallwood bearers went from 18,717 to 17,601 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,926 to #2,008.
FAQ
Smallwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smallwood?
Name Census estimates that about 20,184 living Americans carry the surname Smallwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,981 residents.
How common is Smallwood?
Smallwood ranks #2,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,601 people with the surname Smallwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Smallwood.
Has Smallwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smallwood went from 18,717 recorded bearers to 17,601. That is a decrease of 1,116 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,926 to #2,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Smallwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smallwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Smallwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.0% (11,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smallwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.0%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Smallwood (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 Smallwood mean?
Derived from a place name or topographical feature referring to a small forest or woods. 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 Smallwood (5.89 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 Americans have the surname Smallwood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.