2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smeins
Derived from a patronymic form of Smidt or Smith, referring to an occupational surname for a blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Smeins. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smeins 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Smeins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeins, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smeins
The surname SMEINS is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "smeden," which means "to forge" or "to smith," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a family of blacksmiths or metalworkers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SMEINS can be found in the Leiden archives, dating back to the 14th century. It appears in a document from 1368, where a certain Hendrick SMEINS is mentioned as a witness in a legal proceeding.
In the 15th century, the name SMEINS started appearing in various records across the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Several variations of the spelling were also noted, such as SMEINSE, SMEYNSE, and SMEYNS.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the SMEINS family seemed to have established itself in the city of Amsterdam, where they were involved in various trades and professions. One notable figure from this period is Jan SMEINS (1582-1647), a successful merchant and ship owner who played a role in the establishment of the Dutch West India Company.
In the 18th century, a branch of the SMEINS family migrated to South Africa, where they became prominent landowners and farmers. One of the earliest known settlers with this surname was Pieter SMEINS (1712-1781), who arrived in the Cape Colony in the 1740s.
Another notable figure was Gerrit SMEINS (1795-1872), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Provincial States of South Holland and played a significant role in the development of Dutch constitutional law.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the SMEINS name continued to appear in various records across the Netherlands, Belgium, and South Africa, with several individuals achieving success in various fields, including business, academia, and the arts.
Although the origins of the SMEINS surname can be traced back to the Netherlands, it has since become a globally dispersed name, with individuals bearing this surname found in countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smeins
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeins, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Smeins 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 Smeins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smeins
Smeins appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 5,360 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 Smeins 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 | #149,395 | #154,755 | -3.6% |
| Count | 110 | 102 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smeins bearers went from 110 to 102 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 5,360 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,755.
FAQ
Smeins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smeins?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Smeins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Smeins?
Smeins ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Smeins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Smeins.
Has Smeins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smeins went from 110 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Smeins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeins, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Smeins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smeins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Smeins (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 Smeins mean?
Derived from a patronymic form of Smidt or Smith, referring to an occupational surname for a blacksmith 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 Smeins (0.03 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 common is the surname Smeins?
Find out how many people are called Smeins on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.