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

Smoot, 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 Smoot surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Smoot in America

Smoot is the 3868th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Smoot surname appeared 9,168 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Smoot.

We can also compare 2010 data for Smoot 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 Smoot

The surname SMOOT has its origins in England, originating in the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word 'smot', which means 'smooth' or 'sleek'. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with fabrics or textiles, perhaps a cloth smoother or a tailor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SMOOT can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which mentions a person named William Smot. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a John Smot is listed.

The SMOOT surname is often associated with the village of Smoot, located in the county of Kent, England. This place name is thought to be derived from the Old English words 'smethe' and 'hoth', meaning 'smooth valley'. It is possible that the surname originated from this location.

In the 16th century, the surname SMOOT was recorded in various spellings, including Smote, Smotte, and Smoote. This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One notable individual with the SMOOT surname was Sir John Smoot, born in 1556. He was a prominent English politician and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Another individual of historical significance was William Smoot, born in 1635 in England. He later emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia, where he became a prominent landowner and founded the Smoot family line in America.

In the 18th century, a noteworthy figure was George Smoot, born in 1715 in Virginia. He served as a lieutenant during the American Revolutionary War and played a role in several battles against the British forces.

In the 19th century, Samuel Smoot, born in 1824 in Utah, was a prominent figure in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served as a missionary and helped establish several LDS communities in the western United States.

Lastly, in the 20th century, George Fitzgerald Smoot III, born in 1945, is a renowned American cosmologist and astrophysicist. He was co-awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his work on the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, which provided insights into the early universe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Smoot

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

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

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

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