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

Smigel, 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 Smigel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smigel in America

Smigel is the 49268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smigel surname appeared 427 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Smigel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smigel 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 Smigel

The surname Smigel originated in the region of Silesia, a historical region that is now divided between Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "smigen," which means "to creep or crawl." It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who was known for their stealthy or secretive nature.

The earliest recorded instances of the Smigel surname can be traced back to the 14th century in Silesian church records and land registries. During this time, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Schmigel, Shmigel, and Schmygel, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Smigel name was Hans Smigel, a merchant from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), who was mentioned in a trade document dated 1389. Another notable figure was Kaspar Smigel, a Silesian scholar and mathematician born in 1499, who made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published several works on celestial observations.

In the 16th century, the Smigel name appeared in various records across Silesia, including the birth records of Matthias Smigel in 1523 in the town of Trebnitz (now Trzebnica, Poland). Around the same time, a family of Smigels settled in the village of Schmigeln (now Śmigiel, Poland), which likely derived its name from the surname.

One prominent individual with the Smigel surname was Johann Smigel (1542-1612), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Breslau. He played a crucial role in the spread of Protestantism in Silesia and authored several influential religious texts.

In the 18th century, the Smigel name gained further recognition with the birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Smigel (1726-1802), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Seven Years' War and later became a respected military strategist and writer on tactics.

As the Smigel family dispersed throughout Central and Eastern Europe over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Smiegel, Smigiel, and Szmigiel. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the surname has persisted through generations, carrying with it a rich historical legacy rooted in the cultural and linguistic traditions of Silesia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smigel

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

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

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

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