2000
#171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 53.96
Common Last name
Schmidt
A German occupational surname referring to a smith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 163,168 Americans carry the last name Schmidt. That puts it at #193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 47.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schmidt 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schmidt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
163K
1 in 2,101
Census rank
#193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
47.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
142K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 142,290 bearers of the surname Schmidt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 47.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schmidt
The surname Schmidt originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "Schmied," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." It was a common occupational surname given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers.
Schmidt is one of the most common surnames in Germany, particularly in the northern and central regions. It is also prevalent in neighboring countries like Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe, where German influence and migration have been significant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Schmidt can be found in medieval German records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a certain Johannes Schmidt in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1275.
While the surname Schmidt did not appear in the Domesday Book (a record of landowners in England in 1086), there are mentions of individuals with similar occupational surnames, such as Faber (Latin for "blacksmith") and Ferrum (Latin for "iron").
Some notable historical figures with the surname Schmidt include:
1. Erasmus Schmidt (1570-1637), a German mathematician and astronomer known for his contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits.
2. Bernhard Schmidt (1879-1935), a German optician and inventor of the Schmidt camera, widely used in astronomy.
3. Albert Schmidt (1841-1923), a German chemist best known for his work on the synthesis of organic compounds.
4. Arno Schmidt (1914-1979), a renowned German writer and translator, celebrated for his avant-garde novels and experimental writing style.
5. Otto Schmitt (1913-1998), a German-American biophysicist and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of electronic circuits and medical devices.
The surname Schmidt has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Germany and neighboring regions. Examples include Schmidtstadt (a town in Saxony), Schmidtmühlen (a village in Bavaria), and Schmidtburg (a castle in Thuringia).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schmidt
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schmidt 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 Schmidt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 131,284
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4,721
- Two or more races2.7% · 3,905
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,193
- Black or African American0.5% · 680
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 507
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schmidt
Schmidt 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
#185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,034
+1,469 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 49.85
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142,290
-4,744 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 47.60
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #171 | 145,565 | 53.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #185 | 147,034 | 49.85 | +1,469 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #193 | 142,290 | 47.60 | -4,744 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 8 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 Schmidt 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 | #185 | #193 | -4.3% |
| Count | 147,034 | 142,290 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 49.85 | 47.60 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schmidt bearers went from 147,034 to 142,290 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #185 to #193.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schmidt
FAQ
Schmidt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schmidt?
Name Census estimates that about 163,168 living Americans carry the surname Schmidt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,101 residents.
How common is Schmidt?
Schmidt ranks #193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 47.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 48 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 142,290 people with the surname Schmidt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (163,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 47.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 47.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 48 of them to have the surname Schmidt.
Has Schmidt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schmidt went from 147,034 recorded bearers to 142,290. That is a decrease of 4,744 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #185 to #193.
What does the Census say about the background of Schmidt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schmidt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (131,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schmidt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Schmidt (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 Schmidt mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a smith or metalworker. 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 Schmidt (47.60 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 share the surname Schmidt?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.