Sminkey last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sminkey

A surname likely derived from a Germanic root meaning "small" or "little."

Sminkey, 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 Sminkey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sminkey in America

Sminkey is the 134712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sminkey surname appeared 125 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 Sminkey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sminkey 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank1347121279485.15%
Count1251231.61%
Proportion per 100k0.040.05-22.22%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sminkey

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

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 Sminkey was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only99.20%124
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.00%0
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Sminkey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White99.20%99.00%0.20%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%0.00%0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races0.00%0.00%0.00%
Hispanic(S)%0.00%(S)%

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

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

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