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

Smiling, 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 Smiling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smiling in America

Smiling is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smiling surname appeared 338 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 Smiling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smiling 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 Smiling

The surname "Smiling" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period between the 11th and 15th centuries. It is thought to be a descriptive surname derived from the Old English word "smilian," meaning "to smile" or "to be cheerful." This surname was likely bestowed upon an individual with a particularly cheerful or smiley disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Smiling" can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Richard Smylynge is listed. Another early record comes from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mentions a William Smylynge in 1379.

In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Smylyng" and "Smylinge," reflecting the phonetic variations common in those times. For instance, the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1486 lists a John Smylynge.

While the surname "Smiling" is not particularly common, it has been borne by a few notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was John Smyling (c. 1556 – 1612), an English Puritan and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Chester from 1604 until his death.

Another individual with this surname was Thomas Smyling (c. 1590 – 1654), an English Puritan clergyman who served as the Vicar of Chiswick in London during the 17th century. He was a prominent figure in the local community and was known for his strong religious convictions.

In the 18th century, there was a Richard Smiling (c. 1710 – 1778), a British merchant and landowner who owned a substantial estate in the county of Gloucestershire. His descendants continued to hold the family lands for several generations.

Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname was Sir John Smiling (1803 – 1891), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Surrey from 1857 to 1868. He was also a successful businessman and philanthropist, known for his charitable contributions to various causes.

Lastly, a more recent example is that of Robert Smiling (1921 – 2003), an American writer and journalist who was best known for his work as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts in various parts of the world during the latter half of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smiling

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

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

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

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