2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Smolens
An occupational surname referring to a charcoal maker or one who worked with smolts (young salmon).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Smolens. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smolens 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Smolens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smolens
The surname SMOLENS is of Polish origin, dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "smola," which means "resin" or "tar," suggesting that the original bearer may have worked with these substances or lived near a location where they were produced.
The name is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, a historical province that is now divided between Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Polish chronicles and municipal records from the 14th and 15th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the SMOLENS name is in the "Akta Grodzkie," a collection of court records from the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan SMOLENS is mentioned in a land dispute case from the year 1468.
In the 16th century, the SMOLENS name began to spread beyond its original region, appearing in various parts of Poland and neighboring countries. Among the earliest recorded examples of this is a merchant named Piotr SMOLENS, who is mentioned in a trade document from the city of Gdańsk (Danzig) in 1512.
Over the centuries, the SMOLENS name has seen various spelling variations, such as SMOLINSKI, SMOLINSKY, and SMOLINSKI, which reflect regional dialects and linguistic influences. One notable person with this name was Franciszek SMOLENS (1715-1786), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's armed forces during the 18th century.
Another prominent figure was Józef SMOLENS (1808-1876), a Polish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the city of Warsaw, including the Sobański Palace and the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the 19th century, the SMOLENS name made its way to the United States and other countries through immigration. One of the earliest recorded examples is Stanisław SMOLENS (1832-1901), a Polish immigrant who settled in Chicago and became a successful businessman and community leader.
Another notable individual was Bronisława SMOLENS (1874-1942), a Polish writer and educator who authored several books on Polish folklore and traditions. She was also a prominent figure in the Polish women's rights movement during the early 20th century.
Finally, Władysław SMOLENS (1893-1968) was a Polish-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early television technology. He held several patents related to cathode-ray tubes and television receivers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smolens
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Smolens 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 Smolens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smolens
Smolens 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,016 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-14 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 9,016 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 13,111 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 Smolens 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 | #139,228 | #152,339 | -9.4% |
| Count | 120 | 106 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smolens bearers went from 120 to 106 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 13,111 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #152,339.
FAQ
Smolens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smolens?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Smolens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Smolens?
Smolens ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Smolens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Smolens.
Has Smolens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smolens went from 120 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Smolens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolens, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Smolens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smolens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Smolens (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 Smolens mean?
An occupational surname referring to a charcoal maker or one who worked with smolts (young salmon). 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 Smolens (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 many people have the last name Smolens?
See how common the surname Smolens is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.