2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Smolkin
A surname of Eastern European origin likely derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Smolkin. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smolkin 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Smolkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smolkin
The surname SMOLKIN originated in Russia during the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "smola," meaning resin or pitch, and likely referred to someone who worked with resin or tar, such as a shipbuilder or roofer.
SMOLKIN was initially concentrated in the regions around Moscow and St. Petersburg, where many families with this name were prominent merchants and tradespeople. One of the earliest known records of the name appears in the Veliky Novgorod Chronicles from 1568, which mentions a merchant named Ivan Smolkin.
In the 17th century, several members of the Smolkin family were involved in the construction of the Kremlin and other important buildings in Moscow. A stonemason named Fyodor Smolkin is credited with overseeing the construction of the Terem Palace in the Kremlin in the 1630s.
During the 18th century, the Smolkin name began to spread across Russia as families migrated to new territories. A notable Smolkin from this period was Grigory Smolkin (1720-1794), a celebrated painter who specialized in religious icons and frescoes.
As the Russian Empire expanded in the 19th century, the Smolkin name became more widely dispersed. One prominent figure was Andrei Smolkin (1826-1892), a military officer who fought in the Crimean War and later served as the governor of several provinces in Siberia.
Other notable Smolkins throughout history include:
- Yevgeny Smolkin (1871-1932), a Russian-born writer and journalist who emigrated to the United States and wrote extensively about the Russian Revolution.
- Vasily Smolkin (1887-1957), a Soviet composer and conductor who wrote several operas and ballets inspired by Russian folklore.
- Nadezhda Smolkina (1908-1993), a Soviet athlete who won multiple Olympic gold medals in track and field events during the 1930s and 1940s.
- Mikhail Smolkin (1923-2001), a Soviet physicist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
While the surname SMOLKIN has its roots in Russia, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration, although it remains most prevalent in Eastern Europe and among Russian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smolkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Smolkin 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 Smolkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smolkin
Smolkin 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Smolkin 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smolkin bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Smolkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smolkin?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Smolkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Smolkin?
Smolkin ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Smolkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Smolkin.
Has Smolkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smolkin went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Smolkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Smolkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smolkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Smolkin (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 Smolkin mean?
A surname of Eastern European origin likely derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Smolkin (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 are called Smolkin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Smolkin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.