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

Smeltzer, 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 Smeltzer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smeltzer in America

Smeltzer is the 8577th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smeltzer surname appeared 3,841 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 Smeltzer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smeltzer 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 Smeltzer

The surname Smeltzer is of German origin, derived from the occupational name 'Schmelzer', which was used to refer to a metalworker or a person who operated a smelting furnace to extract metals from ore. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century, when metalworking and mining were prevalent occupations in certain regions of Germany.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name Smeltzer can be found in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. A document from 1487 mentions a certain Hans Smeltzer, who was a master metalworker and owned a smelting workshop within the city walls.

As the name suggests, the Smeltzer family likely originated from areas where metalworking and mining were prominent industries, such as the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) region that stretches across parts of Germany and the Czech Republic. The name may also have been influenced by the presence of smelting furnaces or foundries in some towns and villages.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Smeltzer. In the 16th century, a man named Christoph Smeltzer (1522-1594) was a renowned goldsmith and engraver in the city of Augsburg, known for his intricate metalwork and designs.

Another individual, Johann Smeltzer (1648-1715), was a respected clockmaker and inventor from the town of Schwabach, known for his innovative clock designs and mechanisms.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Smeltzer (1806-1875) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings and churches in various cities across Germany, including the famous St. Martin's Church in Bamberg.

The name Smeltzer also found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where a Dutch-German artist named Willem Smeltzer (1811-1878) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings.

Lastly, in the early 20th century, a German-American engineer named Otto Smeltzer (1892-1963) made significant contributions to the field of aviation and aerospace technology, working on the development of early aircraft engines and propulsion systems.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smeltzer

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

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

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

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