2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sminkey
A surname likely derived from a Germanic root meaning "small" or "little."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Sminkey. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sminkey 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Sminkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sminkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sminkey
The surname SMINKEY is believed to have originated in the early 14th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is derived from the Old French word "esminquer," which means "to break or shatter." The name likely referred to someone whose occupation involved breaking or shattering objects, perhaps a stonemason or a glass worker.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name SMINKEY can be found in the Kalendars of Gwynedd, a collection of Welsh chronicles from the 14th century. In these records, a man named Ieuan SMINKEY is mentioned as a participant in a local skirmish in the year 1327.
In the 15th century, the name SMINKEY appears in several English tax records and court documents. One notable example is William SMINKEY, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in a legal dispute over the ownership of a ship in 1465.
During the 16th century, the SMINKEY name began to spread across various parts of England and Scotland. In 1582, a man named John SMINKEY was recorded as a landowner in the village of Weston-under-Lizard in Staffordshire.
One of the most prominent figures with the SMINKEY surname was Sir Robert SMINKEY, a Scottish diplomat and courtier who lived from 1560 to 1637. He served as an ambassador to the court of King James VI of Scotland and was later appointed as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King Charles I of England.
Another notable bearer of the SMINKEY name was Elizabeth SMINKEY, a British writer and poet who lived from 1674 to 1742. She published several collections of poetry and was known for her satirical works criticizing the social and political norms of her time.
In the 18th century, the SMINKEY name can be found in various parish records and census records across England and Scotland. For example, a man named William SMINKEY was recorded as a farmer in the village of Eccleston, Lancashire, in 1765.
The 19th century saw the SMINKEY name spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of immigration. One notable figure from this period was James SMINKEY, an American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1832 to 1912. He founded the SMINKEY Textile Company in New England and donated a significant portion of his wealth to various educational institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sminkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Sminkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sminkey 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 Sminkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sminkey
Sminkey 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,764 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-14 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,764 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 13,953 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 Sminkey 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 | #134,712 | #148,665 | -10.4% |
| Count | 125 | 111 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sminkey bearers went from 125 to 111 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 13,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Sminkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sminkey?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Sminkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Sminkey?
Sminkey ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Sminkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sminkey.
Has Sminkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sminkey went from 125 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Sminkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sminkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Sminkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sminkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Sminkey (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 Sminkey mean?
A surname likely derived from a Germanic root meaning "small" or "little." 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 Sminkey (0.04 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 Sminkey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.