2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smela
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "brave" or "courageous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Smela. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smela 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Smela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smela, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smela
The surname Smela has its origins in Poland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "smela," which means "bold" or "daring." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an individual with a courageous or brave personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Smela surname can be found in the Polish town of Bydgoszcz, where a man named Jan Smela was listed in the town's records in 1598. Another early reference is from the village of Krasne, where a family with the surname Smela was documented in the late 1600s.
In the 18th century, the Smela surname gained some prominence in the region of Galicia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire but is now divided between modern-day Poland and Ukraine. A notable figure from this era was Michał Smela (1722-1799), a Polish nobleman and landowner who served as a member of the Sejm (Polish parliament) in the late 1700s.
As the Smela family spread across different regions of Poland and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Smela, Smiela, and Smelka. One interesting historical tidbit is that a small village in Ukraine, located near the city of Cherkasy, bears the name Smila, which may have been influenced by the Smela surname.
Moving into the 19th century, we find examples of individuals with the Smela surname who made their mark in various fields. For instance, Stanisław Smela (1824-1899) was a renowned Polish painter and artist, known for his landscapes and historical scenes. Another notable figure was Józef Smela (1856-1923), a Polish writer and journalist who contributed to several literary publications of his time.
In the early 20th century, Władysław Smela (1880-1945) was a Polish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a brief period in 1923. Additionally, Kazimierz Smela (1902-1987) was a respected Polish engineer and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of early television technology.
While the Smela surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and notable figures mentioned above provide a glimpse into the rich heritage and evolution of this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smela
Among Census respondents with the surname Smela, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Smela 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 Smela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smela
Smela 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,609 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-21 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,609 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 16,777 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 Smela 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 | #139,228 | #156,005 | -12.1% |
| Count | 120 | 99 | -17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smela bearers went from 120 to 99 (-17.5% change). The surname moved down 16,777 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #156,005.
FAQ
Smela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smela?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Smela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Smela?
Smela ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Smela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Smela.
Has Smela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smela went from 120 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 21 (-17.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Smela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smela, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (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 Smela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Hispanic (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 Smela (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 Smela mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "brave" or "courageous." 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 Smela (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 many Americans have the surname Smela?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.