Find out how popular the last name Waldsmith is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Waldsmith.
A surname combining "wald" (forest) and "smith" (metalworker), referring to a metalworker from the woods.
Waldsmith, 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 Waldsmith surname is from the 2010 census data.
Waldsmith is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Waldsmith surname appeared 232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Waldsmith.
We can also compare 2010 data for Waldsmith 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 81458 | 72466 | 11.68% |
| Count | 232 | 250 | -7.47% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.09 | -11.76% |
The surname Waldsmith has its origins in medieval Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "wald" meaning forest and "schmied" meaning smith or metalworker. This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who worked as a blacksmith or metalworker in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waldsmith can be found in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, dated 1287. The document mentions a "Hans Waldsmyt" who was a local blacksmith. The name was also found in various other records from the region, sometimes spelled as "Waldsmed" or "Waldsmedt".
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family of Waldsmiths resided. Johannes Waldsmith, born in 1432, was a prominent member of the metalworking guild and is mentioned in several guild records from that time.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it underwent various spelling variations, including Waldschmidt, Waldschmitt, and Waldsmidt. One notable bearer of the name was Hans Waldschmidt, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th century and is known for his intricate woodcuts.
In the 17th century, the name made its way to the Netherlands, where it was recorded as "Waldsmit" or "Waldsmits". A famous bearer of the name from this period was Pieter Waldsmit, a Dutch painter born in 1619, who specialized in portraiture and genre scenes.
As people migrated from Europe to other parts of the world, the name Waldsmith traveled with them. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Waldsmith settled in Pennsylvania, United States, where they established a successful blacksmithing business. One notable member of this family was Jacob Waldsmith, born in 1782, who was a skilled metalworker and a pioneer in the American iron industry.
Throughout the centuries, the Waldsmith name has been associated with various professions, from metalworking and blacksmithing to art and industry. Despite its German origins, the name has spread across the globe, with bearers in various countries and cultures, each with their own unique stories and contributions to history.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Waldsmith.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Waldsmith was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 92.67% | 215 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.59% | 6 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.59% | 6 |
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 Waldsmith has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.67% | 96.00% | -3.53% |
| Black | 2.59% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.59% | 2.00% | 25.71% |
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 Waldsmith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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