2000
#9,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Smit
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or someone who works with metal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,548 Americans carry the last name Smit. That puts it at #8,012 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smit 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Smit with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,364
Census rank
#8,012
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,966 bearers of the surname Smit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8012th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Black (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smit
The surname "SMIT" is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period, sometime around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Middle Dutch word "smit," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." This occupational surname was likely given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or in a related trade involving metalwork.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "SMIT" can be found in the Leiden Records of 1366, where a certain "Jan Smit" is mentioned. In the 15th century, the name appeared in various Dutch records, such as the Leiden Memorie en Wedde-boeken from 1428-1438, where a "Willem Pietersz Smit" is listed.
The surname "SMIT" is also found in other historical records from the Netherlands, including the Dordrecht Oud-rechterlijk Archief from the late 15th century, where a "Cornelis Smit" is mentioned. The name's association with metalworking and blacksmithing is evident in these early records, as many individuals with the surname "SMIT" were listed as working in those professions.
One notable individual with the surname "SMIT" was Hendrik Smit (1562-1629), a Dutch painter and engraver from Haarlem. Another prominent figure was Pieter Smit (1547-1600), a Dutch scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Leiden.
In the 17th century, the surname "SMIT" gained wider recognition through individuals like Jan Smit (1622-1673), a Dutch Golden Age painter, and Michiel Jansz Smit (1613-1688), a Dutch East India Company officer who served as the Governor of Malacca from 1677 to 1678.
The name also spread beyond the Netherlands, with individuals bearing the surname "SMIT" appearing in other parts of Europe and eventually in North America and other regions due to Dutch emigration and colonization efforts.
While the spelling "SMIT" is the most common variation, other spellings like "SMITT," "SCHMIDT," and "SMITH" have also emerged over time, particularly in areas with strong Dutch or Germanic influences. The surname "SMIT" has a rich history rooted in the metalworking traditions of the Netherlands, and its enduring presence across generations and regions reflects its significance in Dutch culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smit
Among Census respondents with the surname Smit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Black (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Smit 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 Smit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 3,060
- Two or more races8.6% · 341
- Black or African American8.4% · 332
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smit
Smit 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
#10,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,164
+106 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 432 places
2020
#8,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,966
+802 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,754 | 3,058 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,186 | 3,164 | 1.07 | +106 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 432 places |
| 2020 | #8,012 | 3,966 | 1.33 | +802 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 2,174 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 Smit 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 | #10,186 | #8,012 | 21.3% |
| Count | 3,164 | 3,966 | 25.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.33 | 24.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smit bearers went from 3,164 to 3,966 (+25.3% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,186 to #8,012.
FAQ
Smit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smit?
Name Census estimates that about 4,548 living Americans carry the surname Smit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,364 residents.
How common is Smit?
Smit ranks #8,012 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,966 people with the surname Smit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Smit.
Has Smit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smit went from 3,164 recorded bearers to 3,966. That is an increase of 802 (+25.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,186 to #8,012.
What does the Census say about the background of Smit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smit, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Black (8.4%). 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 Smit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (3,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Two or More Races (8.6%), Black (8.4%). 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 Smit (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 Smit mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or someone who works with metal. 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 Smit (1.33 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 last name Smit?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Smit is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.