Zmich last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Zmich

An Americanized spelling of the Polish surname Żmich, referring to someone from a place called Żmich.

Zmich, 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 Zmich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zmich in America

Zmich is the 84748th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zmich surname appeared 221 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 Zmich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zmich 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 84748 78549 7.59%
Count 221 226 -2.24%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.08 -13.33%

The history of the last name Zmich

The surname Zmich is of Polish origin, emerging from the area that is now modern-day Poland. The earliest traces of this surname can be connected to the medieval regions of Silesia and Greater Poland in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this time, surnames in Poland often derived from given names, occupations, places, or descriptive features.

Zmich is believed to be derived from the Old Polish personal name 'Zdzich', which is a diminutive form of Zdzisław. The element 'Sdzicha' in old Slavic languages means 'to do or perform', and 'sław' translates to 'glory' or 'fame'. The evolution from Zdzich to Zmich likely occurred due to linguistic simplifications over time. Another possible derivation could be from the word 'zmiech', meaning 'laughter', hinting at a descriptive origin.

The name appears in historical records dating back to the 16th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jakub Zmich, a landholder in the Greater Poland region documented in 1563. This landholders' records, archived in various Polish genealogical and heraldic documents, provide insight into the landownership and social status of individuals with this name.

Throughout history, the surname has seen various spellings due to transcription errors or regional dialects, including Zmiech and Zmiich. These variations often occurred in church records and legal documents, which were not standardized until later centuries.

An important historical figure with the surname Zmich is Jan Zmich, an 18th-century noble whose name appears in the records of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth around 1732. His participation in local governance and the noble councils of his time were well-documented, illustrating the surname's association with nobility.

In the 19th century, Józef Zmich stood out in literary circles. Born in 1812 and passing away in 1875, Józef was a recognized poet and author whose works contributed significantly to Polish literature. His poems, written during the times of partition and political upheaval, resonated with the struggle for national identity and independence.

Maria Zmich, another notable figure, was a pioneering educator in the late 19th and early 20th century. Born in 1867 and dying in 1938, she advocated for women's education and established several schools for girls, playing a crucial role in the educational reforms in Poland during that period.

Kazimierz Zmich, born in 1904, was a renowned artist and sculptor whose works were celebrated throughout Europe. His artistic legacy includes numerous public monuments and sculptures, contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of early 20th-century Poland. Kazimierz's artistic expression was deeply influenced by the modernist movements of his time, and his works are still admired in galleries and public spaces.

The surname Zmich encapsulates a rich history intertwined with Poland's medieval and modern eras. From its etymological roots to its historical references and notable bearers, the name has traversed through centuries, morphing and adapting while maintaining a connection to its Polish origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zmich

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

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 Zmich was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.74% 216
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Zmich has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.74% 94.69% 3.17%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% 3.54% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Zmich last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/zmich-surname-popularity/.

"Zmich last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/zmich-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Zmich last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/zmich-surname-popularity/.

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