2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smokler
A surname derived from a word meaning "one who smokes or cures meat."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Smokler. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smokler 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Smokler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smokler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smokler
The surname Smokler is of Slavic origin, with its roots likely tracing back to the 13th century in the regions of modern-day Poland and Slovakia. The name is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "smok," meaning "dragon" or "serpent," suggesting it may have been an occupational surname bestowed upon those who worked with or traded in serpent skins or dragon-related goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Smokler name appears in a 1427 document from the town of Krakow, where a merchant named Jakub Smokler is mentioned as a trader in exotic goods, including serpent skins and dragon scales. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in the region by the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Smokler can be found in various records from the towns of Bielsko and Cieszyn, situated in the Silesian region spanning what is now southern Poland and the Czech Republic. These records indicate that the Smokler family had established itself as a prominent merchant clan, dealing in a variety of goods, including textiles and precious metals.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the Smokler surname emerged. In 1621, Jan Smokler, a renowned alchemist and philosopher from Krakow, published a treatise on the mystical properties of serpent venom, which gained widespread recognition among scholars of the time. Later, in 1768, a wealthy landowner named Kazimierz Smokler was recorded as having commissioned the construction of a grand manor house in the village of Nowy Sącz, which still stands today.
As the Smokler family spread throughout Eastern Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Smoklir, Smocklir, and Smochler. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Ignacy Smokler, a Polish artist born in 1837, who gained acclaim for his intricate wood carvings depicting scenes from Slavic folklore, often featuring serpents and dragons.
Another prominent individual was Magdalena Smokler, a Polish-born writer and activist who lived from 1872 to 1954. She was known for her work promoting women's rights and education, and her novels often explored themes of cultural identity and the struggles faced by Polish immigrants in the early 20th century.
Despite its Slavic origins, the Smokler surname can also be found in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to emigration and dispersion over the centuries. However, its greatest concentration remains in Poland, Slovakia, and neighboring regions, where it continues to hold a rich historical legacy tied to the imagery of serpents and dragons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smokler
Among Census respondents with the surname Smokler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Smokler 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 Smokler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smokler
Smokler appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,498 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 Smokler 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 | #150,452 | #147,954 | 1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 112 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smokler bearers went from 109 to 112 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,954.
FAQ
Smokler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smokler?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Smokler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Smokler?
Smokler ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Smokler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Smokler.
Has Smokler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smokler went from 109 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Smokler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smokler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Smokler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smokler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Smokler (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 Smokler mean?
A surname derived from a word meaning "one who smokes or cures meat." 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 Smokler (0.04 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 common is the surname Smokler?
You can see how many people are called Smokler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.