2000
#13,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Smolinski
Derived from the Polish word "smola," meaning "pitch" or "resin," likely referring to an occupation involving these substances.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,360 Americans carry the last name Smolinski. That puts it at #14,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Smolinski 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 Smolinski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,235
Census rank
#14,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,058 bearers of the surname Smolinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Smolinski
The surname Smolinski originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the early 15th century. The name is derived from the Polish word "smola," which means "tar" or "pitch," indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in occupations related to the production or trade of tar or pitch.
The name Smolinski is believed to have originated in the region of Masovia, a historical land located in east-central Poland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the towns and villages in this region, such as the Parish Records of Ciechanów and Płock.
In the 16th century, the Smolinski surname appeared in several historical documents, including the Polish Nobility Book (Księga Rodów Polskich) and the Heraldic Armorials of the Polish nobility. This suggests that some members of the Smolinski family achieved noble status during this period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Smolinski was Jan Smolinski, who lived in the town of Płock in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Maciej Smolinski, a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Ciechanów, who lived in the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the Smolinski family spread across various regions of Poland, with some members settling in the area of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) and Lesser Poland (Małopolska). During this time, the name also appeared in various spellings, such as Smoliński, Smolińsky, and Smolenski.
One of the most famous individuals with the Smolinski surname was Kazimierz Smoliński (1637-1703), a Polish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Polish-Ottoman Wars of the late 17th century.
Another notable figure was Józef Smoliński (1808-1876), a Polish writer, journalist, and political activist who was involved in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1830-1831.
In the 19th century, the Smolinski surname was also found among Polish immigrants who settled in various parts of the United States, particularly in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee, where they established vibrant Polish communities.
Overall, the surname Smolinski has a rich history rooted in the traditions and occupations of medieval Poland, with various branches of the family achieving prominence in different fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Smolinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Smolinski 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 Smolinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,930
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 77
- Two or more races1.7% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Smolinski
Smolinski 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
#14,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
-10 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,011 places
2020
#14,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
-67 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,128 | 2,135 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,139 | 2,125 | 0.72 | -10 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,011 places |
| 2020 | #14,020 | 2,058 | 0.69 | -67 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 119 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 Smolinski 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 | #14,139 | #14,020 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,125 | 2,058 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Smolinski bearers went from 2,125 to 2,058 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,139 to #14,020.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Smolinski
FAQ
Smolinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Smolinski?
Name Census estimates that about 2,360 living Americans carry the surname Smolinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,235 residents.
How common is Smolinski?
Smolinski ranks #14,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,058 people with the surname Smolinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Smolinski.
Has Smolinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Smolinski went from 2,125 recorded bearers to 2,058. That is a decrease of 67 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,139 to #14,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Smolinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Smolinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Smolinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Smolinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Smolinski (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 Smolinski mean?
Derived from the Polish word "smola," meaning "pitch" or "resin," likely referring to an occupation involving these substances. 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 Smolinski (0.69 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 Smolinski?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Smolinski, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.