Find out how popular the last name Smedley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Smedley.

Smedley, 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 Smedley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smedley in America

Smedley is the 7605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smedley surname appeared 4,371 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Smedley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smedley 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 Smedley

The surname Smedley is of English origin, traced back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "smiđ" meaning "smith" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow." The name likely referred to a smith or metalworker who lived in a clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Smetheleye." This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution from the original Old English components.

In the 14th century, the Smedley surname appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where it was written as "Smetheleye," and the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1379, where it was recorded as "Smethelay."

The Smedley name also has ties to several place names, such as Smedley in Cheshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Smedelee." This suggests that the surname may have originated from a location bearing a similar name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Smedley surname. One of the earliest recorded was John Smedley (c. 1500 - 1562), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Dean of Carlisle Cathedral.

Another notable figure was Obadiah Smedley (1676 - 1742), an English churchman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1735 to 1736.

In the 19th century, Martha Smedley (1825 - 1907) was a prominent English philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and education.

John Smedley (1853 - 1922) was an English industrialist and founder of the Smedley's Hydro textile company, which became renowned for its high-quality underwear and apparel.

More recently, Constance Smedley (1876 - 1941) was a British author and journalist known for her travel writing and novels set in Asia, particularly India and China.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smedley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Smedley.

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 Smedley 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 Smedley 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 Smedley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Smedley, please contact us.

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