2000
#7,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Smeltzer
An occupational surname referring to someone who smelts or refines metals, particularly tin, iron, or lead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,149 Americans carry the last name Smeltzer. That puts it at #8,701 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smeltzer 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
4.1K
1 in 82,611
Census rank
#8,701
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,618 bearers of the surname Smeltzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8701st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeltzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smeltzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeltzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Smeltzer 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 Smeltzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,352
- Two or more races3.7% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smeltzer
Smeltzer 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
#8,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,841
-22 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 631 places
2020
#8,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,618
-223 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,946 | 3,863 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,577 | 3,841 | 1.30 | -22 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 631 places |
| 2020 | #8,701 | 3,618 | 1.21 | -223 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 124 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 Smeltzer 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 | #8,577 | #8,701 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,841 | 3,618 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.21 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smeltzer bearers went from 3,841 to 3,618 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,577 to #8,701.
FAQ
Smeltzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smeltzer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,149 living Americans carry the surname Smeltzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,611 residents.
How common is Smeltzer?
Smeltzer ranks #8,701 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,618 people with the surname Smeltzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Smeltzer.
Has Smeltzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smeltzer went from 3,841 recorded bearers to 3,618. That is a decrease of 223 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,577 to #8,701.
What does the Census say about the background of Smeltzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smeltzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Smeltzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,352 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smeltzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Smeltzer (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 Smeltzer mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who smelts or refines metals, particularly tin, iron, or lead. 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 Smeltzer (1.21 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 people have the surname Smeltzer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.