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

Smoker, 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 Smoker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smoker in America

Smoker is the 16238th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smoker surname appeared 1,778 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Smoker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smoker 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 Smoker

The surname Smoker is of English origin, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "smocian," which means "to smoke." This surname was likely given to someone who worked as a smoker, either in the process of curing meat or fish with smoke, or in the production of smoke for other industrial processes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Smoker can be found in the parish records of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a Thomas Smoker was listed in 1596. Another early record shows a John Smoker in the Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1628.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Smocker and Smooker, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. For example, a Richard Smocker was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1672.

The Smoker surname can also be traced to the village of Smokehouses in Worcestershire, England, which was known for its smokehouses used for curing meat and fish. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from this area and adopted the name based on their occupation or place of residence.

Some notable individuals throughout history with the surname Smoker include:

1. John Smoker (1639-1685), an English religious dissenter and writer who was imprisoned for his beliefs.
2. William Smoker (1745-1821), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Bristol.
3. Elizabeth Smoker (1811-1891), an American pioneer and one of the first settlers in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
4. Henry Smoker (1864-1943), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
5. Alice Smoker (1923-2001), an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract works in various media.

While the Smoker surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history and has been associated with various occupations and individuals over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smoker

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

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

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

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