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

Smithmyer, 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 Smithmyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smithmyer in America

Smithmyer is the 91981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smithmyer surname appeared 200 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 Smithmyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smithmyer 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 Smithmyer

The surname Smithmyer is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "Schmied" (blacksmith) and "Meyer" or "Meier" (an occupational name referring to a steward or bailiff of an estate). The name likely referred to someone whose occupation was a blacksmith or someone who worked as a steward on an estate where a blacksmith was employed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans Smithmyer is mentioned in a local registry from the year 1487. The name also appears in various tax records and land registers from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia.

In the late 16th century, a man named Johann Smithmyer (1563-1631) was a prominent blacksmith and metalworker in the town of Freiberg, Saxony. His work was highly regarded, and some of his intricate metalwork can still be found in the local churches and museums.

Another notable figure was Christoph Smithmyer (1612-1689), a wealthy landowner and steward who oversaw several estates in the Thuringian region. He was known for his fair treatment of his workers and his efforts to improve agricultural practices on the lands under his management.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Smithmyer began to spread beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the American colonies. One such individual was Friedrich Smithmyer (1720-1789), who left Germany in the mid-18th century and settled in Pennsylvania, where he established a successful farming community.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was the German philosopher and writer, Wilhelm Smithmyer (1821-1896), who was born in Saxony and later became a professor at the University of Leipzig. His works on ethics and metaphysics were widely influential in academic circles of the time.

While the Smithmyer surname is not among the most common worldwide, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and regions, with its origins rooted in the occupations of blacksmithing and estate management in medieval Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smithmyer

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

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

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

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