Explore the Family Name Schmit

The meaning of Schmit

German and Dutch: variant of Schmidt and Smit.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Schmit in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Schmit experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 6,234th and by 2010, its rank had slipped to 6,438th, marking a 3.27% drop. Despite this decline in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Schmit surname rose from 5,053 in 2000 to 5,274 in 2010, an increase of 4.37%. The proportion of Schmits per 100k people also slightly decreased by 4.28%.

20002010Change
Rank#6,234#6,438-3.27%
Count5,0535,2744.37%
Proportion per 100k1.871.79-4.28%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Schmit

Regarding ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the Schmit surname identified as White in both 2000 (96.87%) and 2010 (96.28%). However, there were noticeable increases in those identifying as Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. The proportion of Schmits identifying as Hispanic grew by 31.50%, while the Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories saw increases of 77.78% and 36.11% respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races saw a slight decrease of 18.18% and 2.25% respectively.

20002010Change
White96.87%96.28%-0.61%
Hispanic1.27%1.67%31.5%
Two or More Races0.89%0.87%-2.25%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.36%0.49%36.11%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.44%0.36%-18.18%
Black0.18%0.32%77.78%

Schmit ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Schmit is French & German, which comprises 48.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.9%) and Eastern European (8.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German48.2%
British & Irish26.9%
Eastern European8.1%
Other16.7%
Schmit

Possible origins of the surname Schmit

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Schmit have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom73.50%
Greater London, United Kingdom73.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom73.50%
Merseyside, United Kingdom73.50%
Lancashire, United Kingdom71.70%

What Schmit haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Schmit is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-DF98 and E-V13, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Heilman, Vogt, Kuhn, Wagner, Walters, Reeves, Bach, Mayer, Skinner, Snyder.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Schmit surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

schmitPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Schmit have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Schmit

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Schmit" Surname 53.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Schmit

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Schmit" Surname 30.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Schmit

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Schmit" Surname 26.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Schmit

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Schmit" Surname 15.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Schmit?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Schmit are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%