2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Szmyt
A Polish surname possibly derived from the Polish word "szmacić" meaning "to wipe" or related to tailoring or cloth-making.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Szmyt. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Szmyt 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Szmyt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Szmyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Szmyt
The surname SZMYT is of Polish origin, originating in the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "szmit," which means a type of linen or cloth. This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with occupations related to textile production or trade.
The earliest known records of the name SZMYT can be traced back to the region of Silesia, a historical province located in modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. It is likely that the name originated in this area and later spread to other parts of Poland.
One of the earliest documented references to the name SZMYT can be found in the church records of the parish of Strzegom, located in the Lower Silesian region of Poland, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as "Szmitt" and "Schmitt."
In the 17th century, the name SZMYT appears in various historical documents from the region of Galicia, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. These documents include land records and tax registers, indicating that individuals with this surname were involved in agriculture and land ownership.
Notable individuals with the surname SZMYT throughout history include:
1. Jan Szmyt (1857-1924), a Polish painter and graphic artist known for his landscapes and portraiture.
2. Stanisław Szmyt (1893-1962), a Polish military officer who fought in World War I and World War II, and later became a writer and historian.
3. Zygmunt Szmyt (1824-1891), a Polish landowner and philanthropist who donated a significant portion of his estate to establish a hospital in the town of Kórnik.
4. Maria Szmyt (1890-1965), a Polish educator and activist who played a significant role in promoting women's education and rights in the early 20th century.
5. Józef Szmyt (1835-1919), a Polish architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Kraków, including the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre.
Over time, the name SZMYT has also been associated with various place names in Poland, such as the village of Szmytówka in the Lublin region, and the town of Szmytki in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or from individuals bearing this name who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Szmyt
Among Census respondents with the surname Szmyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Szmyt 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 Szmyt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Szmyt
Szmyt 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
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-8 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 496 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 Szmyt 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 | #156,044 | #156,540 | -0.3% |
| Count | 104 | 96 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Szmyt bearers went from 104 to 96 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 496 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #156,540.
FAQ
Szmyt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Szmyt?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Szmyt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Szmyt?
Szmyt ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Szmyt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Szmyt.
Has Szmyt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Szmyt went from 104 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #156,044 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Szmyt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Szmyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Szmyt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Szmyt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Szmyt (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 Szmyt mean?
A Polish surname possibly derived from the Polish word "szmacić" meaning "to wipe" or related to tailoring or cloth-making. 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 Szmyt (0.03 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 Szmyt?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Szmyt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.