2000
#21,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Smucker
A German/Dutch surname derived from the word "smucker," meaning an attractive or good-looking person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,732 Americans carry the last name Smucker. That puts it at #12,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smucker 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
2.7K
1 in 125,459
Census rank
#12,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,382 bearers of the surname Smucker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smucker
The surname Smucker is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the German region of Rheinland-Pfalz or the neighboring areas. The name is derived from the German word "Schmucker," which means "one who adorns or beautifies."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Smucker surname can be found in the historical records of the town of Neckarzimmern, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In the 16th century, a document from 1583 mentions a certain Hans Schmucker, who was a resident of the town.
The Smucker family lineage can also be traced back to the Swiss-German Anabaptist community, who were persecuted for their religious beliefs. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, many Anabaptists, including those with the Smucker surname, fled Europe and sought refuge in Pennsylvania, which was known for its religious tolerance.
One of the first documented Smuckers to arrive in America was Christian Smucker, who was born in 1695 in the German Palatinate region. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1723 and settled in Lancaster County, where he established his family and became a successful farmer.
Another notable figure with the Smucker surname was Jacob Smucker, born in 1746 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and is recognized for his bravery and leadership.
In the 19th century, the Smucker family gained prominence in the food industry. Samuel Smucker, born in 1807 in Ohio, was a successful entrepreneur who founded the J.M. Smucker Company, which is now one of the leading producers of fruit spreads, peanut butter, and other food products in the United States.
Other significant individuals with the Smucker surname include Jonathan Smucker (1802-1865), a prominent Mennonite leader and publisher from Pennsylvania, and Isaac J. Smucker (1804-1868), a historian and author who wrote extensively about the Amish and Mennonite communities in America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smucker
Among Census respondents with the surname Smucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Smucker 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 Smucker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 2,319
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 28
- Two or more races0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smucker
Smucker 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
#18,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,527
+412 bearers (+37.0%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 3,536 places
2020
#12,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
+855 bearers (+56.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 5,777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,754 | 1,115 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,218 | 1,527 | 0.52 | +412 bearers (+37.0%) | Up 3,536 places |
| 2020 | #12,441 | 2,382 | 0.80 | +855 bearers (+56.0%) | Up 5,777 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 Smucker 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 | #18,218 | #12,441 | 31.7% |
| Count | 1,527 | 2,382 | 56.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.80 | 53.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smucker bearers went from 1,527 to 2,382 (+56.0% change). The surname moved up 5,777 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,218 to #12,441.
FAQ
Smucker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smucker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,732 living Americans carry the surname Smucker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,459 residents.
How common is Smucker?
Smucker ranks #12,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,382 people with the surname Smucker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Smucker.
Has Smucker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smucker went from 1,527 recorded bearers to 2,382. That is an increase of 855 (+56.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,218 to #12,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Smucker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smucker, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.2%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Smucker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (2,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smucker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (1.2%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Smucker (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 Smucker mean?
A German/Dutch surname derived from the word "smucker," meaning an attractive or good-looking person. 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 Smucker (0.80 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 surname Smucker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.