Smithbrown last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Smithbrown

A combination surname suggesting dual origins or ancestry as a metalworker and brown-haired person.

Smithbrown, 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 Smithbrown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smithbrown in America

Smithbrown is the 98553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smithbrown surname appeared 184 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 Smithbrown.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smithbrown 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 98553 131366 -28.54%
Count 184 119 42.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.04 40.00%

The history of the last name Smithbrown

The surname SMITHBROWN is an English occupational name that originated in the late medieval period. It is a combination of the common occupational surname Smith, derived from the Old English word 'smitan' meaning to strike or beat, and the descriptive surname Brown, referring to the color of hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Lincolnshire parish records, where a John Smithbrown was listed in 1543. It is believed that the name originated in the county of Yorkshire, where there were numerous villages with blacksmiths and metalworkers who would have taken on the surname.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Smithbrown (1580-1648), a member of Parliament during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and fought for King Charles I against the Parliamentarians. Another early bearer was William Smithbrown (1612-1679), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol.

In the 18th century, the SMITHBROWN name spread across England, with several families settling in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. One prominent figure from this period was Edward Smithbrown (1732-1810), a renowned architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style.

During the Industrial Revolution, many individuals with the SMITHBROWN surname worked in the metalworking and mining industries, particularly in the coal and iron mining regions of Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable figure from this era was Robert Smithbrown (1814-1892), a successful mine owner and industrialist who owned several collieries in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Other notable individuals with the SMITHBROWN surname include:

  1. George Smithbrown (1856-1932), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest.
  2. Emily Smithbrown (1871-1948), a pioneer in the field of social work and a leading advocate for women's rights in the early 20th century.
  3. John Smithbrown (1895-1975), a decorated British soldier who served in both World Wars and received the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the Battle of the Somme.
  4. Margaret Smithbrown (1912-2002), a renowned artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and North America.
  5. David Smithbrown (1939-2018), a respected academic and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smithbrown

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

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 Smithbrown was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 21.20% 39
Non-Hispanic Black Only 72.28% 133
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.26% 6
Hispanic Origin 2.72% 5

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 21.20% 26.05% -20.53%
Black 72.28% 63.87% 12.35%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.26% 8.40% -88.16%
Hispanic 2.72% (S)% (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 Smithbrown was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Smithbrown last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/smithbrown-surname-popularity/.

"Smithbrown last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/smithbrown-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Smithbrown last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/smithbrown-surname-popularity/.

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