Smith Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History - Forebears

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Smith Surname

130th Most Commonsurname in the World

Approximately 4,458,855 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in: United StatesHighest density in: Tuvalu

Smith Surname Definition:

Smith is an occupational surname - the smith - common to every village in England, north, south, east and west. The name Smyth is the almost invariable spelling in early rolls, so that it cannot exactly be styled a modern affection. There are 300,000 Smiths in England (1901); very different from the state of Israel, when there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel.

Read More About This Surname

Smith Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy incidenceBy frequencyBy rankFullscreen

• 2014
• 1901
• 1881
• 1880

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	2,885,498	1:126	1
England	632,854	1:88	1
Australia	212,493	1:127	1
Canada	192,145	1:192	1
South Africa	125,534	1:432	22
Scotland	64,005	1:84	1
Jamaica	46,785	1:61	3
Sierra Leone	26,272	1:270	46
Wales	25,660	1:121	12
Liberia	20,354	1:217	27
Ireland	20,234	1:233	17
New Zealand	13,667	1:331	1
Nigeria	10,814	1:16,381	1,587
Bahamas	9,876	1:40	3
Panama	9,602	1:407	80
Thailand	9,106	1:7,757	348
East Timor	8,020	1:152	45
France	5,961	1:11,143	1,099
Northern Ireland	5,916	1:312	24
Germany	5,374	1:14,981	1,961
Spain	4,699	1:9,949	1,174
Trinidad and Tobago	4,654	1:293	26
Netherlands	4,490	1:3,761	347
Equatorial Guinea	4,142	1:274	66
India	3,959	1:193,752	11,697
Brazil	3,905	1:54,821	2,096
Guyana	3,861	1:197	10
Madagascar	3,492	1:6,773	1,367
Mexico	3,382	1:36,702	2,170
Argentina	3,314	1:12,898	1,169
Dominican Republic	2,912	1:3,583	417
Fiji	2,576	1:347	32
Venezuela	2,517	1:12,000	1,054
Philippines	2,404	1:42,112	6,667
Denmark	2,264	1:2,493	192
Barbados	2,197	1:131	14
Papua New Guinea	2,131	1:3,826	197
Belize	2,033	1:175	17
Bermuda	2,027	1:32	1
Cuba	2,025	1:5,690	630
Chile	2,017	1:8,734	826
Haiti	1,997	1:5,350	646
Russia	1,982	1:72,716	9,340
Zimbabwe	1,976	1:7,813	897
Norway	1,965	1:2,617	234
Sweden	1,835	1:5,366	506
Morocco	1,806	1:19,090	2,933
Costa Rica	1,577	1:3,031	322
Japan	1,568	1:81,533	5,415
China	1,502	1:910,334	283
Ecuador	1,498	1:10,618	1,706
Vanuatu	1,495	1:176	18
Tuvalu	1,468	1:8	1
Nicaragua	1,465	1:4,110	496
Namibia	1,303	1:1,849	264
Portugal	1,264	1:8,242	742
United States Virgin Islands	1,171	1:94	2
Italy	1,162	1:52,631	9,464
Switzerland	1,092	1:7,521	1,208
Cayman Islands	1,078	1:59	3
Colombia	1,060	1:45,070	2,392
Turks and Caicos Islands	1,055	1:33	3
Honduras	1,031	1:8,551	596
British Virgin Islands	1,003	1:31	1
Oman	978	1:3,771	541
Belgium	975	1:11,791	1,748
Saint Lucia	919	1:195	26
Antigua and Barbuda	811	1:122	18
Indonesia	781	1:169,333	16,427
Swaziland	733	1:1,771	187
Saint Martin	725	1:48	17
Israel	711	1:12,036	1,844
Samoa	690	1:281	55
Grenada	667	1:163	25
Tonga	666	1:161	28
Peru	660	1:48,158	4,157
Algeria	655	1:58,979	9,893
Jersey	654	1:152	1
Botswana	640	1:3,417	460
Saudi Arabia	636	1:48,515	7,156
Malaysia	595	1:49,570	3,910
Ghana	594	1:45,489	5,378
Greece	581	1:19,070	2,758
Guernsey	580	1:111	1
Malta	499	1:862	112
Isle of Man	496	1:173	2
Wallis and Futuna	488	1:28	6
Kenya	484	1:95,413	8,462
Chad	481	1:28,258	3,335
Suriname	467	1:1,183	90
Guatemala	464	1:34,661	1,981
United Arab Emirates	411	1:22,293	2,557
Hong Kong	401	1:18,293	427
Paraguay	359	1:20,158	814
Iraq	351	1:99,777	3,004
Austria	344	1:24,754	3,897
Tanzania	336	1:157,564	14,138
Palau	330	1:66	17
Guam	329	1:487	69
Latvia	320	1:6,406	885
Cyprus	314	1:2,818	339
Estonia	291	1:4,542	426
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	279	1:404	88
Poland	255	1:149,054	21,316
Romania	252	1:79,674	9,369
Anguilla	248	1:54	13
Czechia	243	1:43,759	7,277
Finland	230	1:23,899	3,297
Afghanistan	216	1:148,857	3,208
American Samoa	215	1:259	4
French Polynesia	215	1:1,306	195
Kuwait	212	1:17,928	2,427
Uzbekistan	212	1:145,892	6,970
Uruguay	209	1:16,420	1,851
Dominica	206	1:368	95
Cambodia	202	1:76,669	2,170
Pakistan	190	1:940,231	12,568
South Korea	184	1:278,480	204
Kazakhstan	179	1:98,785	11,010
Gibraltar	178	1:191	8
Saint Kitts and Nevis	175	1:315	72
Benin	172	1:60,091	7,422
Solomon Islands	168	1:3,453	380
Ukraine	165	1:275,895	35,653
Bolivia	154	1:68,938	3,218
Hungary	154	1:63,742	6,604
Luxembourg	153	1:3,794	511
Egypt	142	1:647,435	38,340
Zambia	137	1:115,693	8,909
Vietnam	129	1:718,186	1,665
Brunei	128	1:3,271	549
Iceland	125	1:3,041	436
Taiwan	120	1:195,373	1,695
Bahrain	118	1:11,429	2,102
Singapore	107	1:51,474	1,981
Djibouti	100	1:9,149	584
New Caledonia	99	1:2,790	365
Uganda	93	1:419,777	25,768
Bangladesh	91	1:1,751,173	13,471
Sri Lanka	89	1:233,804	9,107
Qatar	87	1:27,103	2,847
Lithuania	86	1:35,286	6,081
Cameroon	85	1:244,342	24,081
Aruba	83	1:1,247	170
Seychelles	76	1:1,216	285
Belarus	74	1:128,393	18,481
Andorra	68	1:1,233	212
Micronesia	67	1:1,586	372
Northern Mariana Islands	64	1:853	135
Angola	63	1:428,400	2,320
Turkey	61	1:1,275,761	53,024
Malawi	60	1:285,318	19,470
Puerto Rico	54	1:65,743	1,307
Lesotho	53	1:38,350	6,671
Mauritius	52	1:24,873	5,131
Monaco	51	1:727	7
Marshall Islands	50	1:1,036	248
Central African Republic	49	1:92,151	23
Moldova	46	1:77,421	10,022
Falkland Islands	43	1:73	4
Tunisia	40	1:15,266	2,487
Greenland	39	1:1,446	212
Mozambique	39	1:699,015	1,610
Togo	38	1:190,731	6,337
Croatia	37	1:114,287	17,308
Curaçao	37	1:4,250	100
Faroe Islands	33	1:1,485	179
Myanmar	33	1:1,573,878	668
Ivory Coast	31	1:744,233	20,430
Nepal	31	1:918,741	5,800
Syria	31	1:622,614	5,649
Slovakia	30	1:177,882	30,511
Armenia	29	1:101,041	3,629
Sudan	29	1:1,293,455	3,607
Cook Islands	28	1:649	92
Lebanon	28	1:201,324	8,427
Georgia	27	1:138,724	10,160
Azerbaijan	25	1:385,965	8,091
DR Congo	24	1:3,078,315	145,663
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	24	1:244	54
Montserrat	23	1:215	47
Bulgaria	21	1:332,329	16,416
Jordan	19	1:465,391	12,761
Norfolk Island	19	1:121	10
Gambia	18	1:106,858	302
North Macedonia	18	1:116,748	9,678
Ethiopia	17	1:5,738,015	11,906
Macau	17	1:35,390	346
Senegal	17	1:857,608	2,905
Slovenia	16	1:155,480	13,898
Libya	15	1:416,265	1,976
Burkina Faso	14	1:1,310,864	11,575
El Salvador	14	1:453,135	2,829
Tajikistan	14	1:599,049	4,276
Bhutan	13	1:47,388	632
Congo	13	1:383,777	9,863
Rwanda	12	1:947,082	2,626
Laos	11	1:598,938	507
Serbia	11	1:649,541	22,440
Albania	10	1:291,406	15,585
Burundi	9	1:1,089,428	846
Eritrea	9	1:527,989	318
Gabon	9	1:209,910	2,378
Guinea	9	1:1,314,869	1,461
Kiribati	9	1:12,601	393
Mongolia	9	1:313,921	11,347
Yemen	9	1:2,936,144	15,216
Mali	8	1:2,121,129	2,425
Maldives	7	1:57,739	2,642
Somalia	7	1:1,921,723	5,087
Kyrgyzstan	6	1:995,442	57,680
Mauritania	6	1:682,477	21,744
Niger	6	1:3,198,670	54,540
Turkmenistan	6	1:914,852	6,159
Liechtenstein	5	1:7,676	1,080
Nauru	5	1:2,376	317
Abkhazia	4	1:60,716	3,073
Guinea-Bissau	4	1:432,005	185
Transnistria	4	1:118,675	12,470
Comoros	3	1:249,841	664
Iran	3	1:25,594,175	224,183
Montenegro	3	1:213,188	6,121
San Marino	3	1:11,071	699
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	1:1,768,201	16,841
Cape Verde	2	1:264,821	5,214
Northern Cyprus	2	1:159,506	9,062
São Tomé and Príncipe	2	1:88,712	2,936
Niue	1	1:1,614	145
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	1	1:6,399	357
South Sudan	1	1:11,415,076	3,182

Show All Nations

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
Ireland	15,136	1:293	20

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
England	363,322	1:67	1
Scotland	52,707	1:71	1
Wales	6,965	1:225	26
Jersey	244	1:213	18
Guernsey	163	1:200	30
Isle of Man	156	1:348	73

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	630,889	1:80	1

The alternate forms: Šmith (6) are calculated separately.

Smith (62,897) may also be a first name.

Smith Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Smith is an occupational surname - the smith - common to every village in England, north, south, east and west. The name Smyth is the almost invariable spelling in early rolls, so that it cannot exactly be styled a modern affection. There are 300,000 Smiths in England (1901); very different from the state of Israel, when there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel. Early renderings include:

• Philip le Smethe, Co. Hunts, 1273. Assizes
• William le Smethe, Co. Oxford, 1273. Assizes
• William le Smyth, Co. Sussex, 1273. Assizes

The following occur on one single page of a 1379 Poll Tax, representing the village of Kimbleworth:

• Johannes Tagge, smyght
• Willelmus Smyght
• Johannes Trogne, smyght
• Ricardus Sawdre, smyght
• Robertus Smyght
• Johannes Losseland, smyght

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

From the occupation.

"For, since the birth of time, throughout all ages and nations,

Has the craft of the smith been held in repute by the people."

— Longfellow, Evangeline.

"For more than 400 years a family of Smith, first as kindly tenants, and afterwards as lairds, were settled in the parish of Strathblane at Craigend. . The tradition of the family is that when surnames came into use they took their name from their occupation of the smiths and armourers of the Barony of Mugdock" (Strathendrick, p. xvii). In Latin documents the name is rendered by Faber and Ferro. Adam Faber held a croft on the lands of Swaynystoun, c. 1221—34 (Soltre, p. 23), and William faber de Karel was a witness, c. 1250 (May, p. 38). Robert the smith (ferro) witnessed a charter by John, bishop of Dunkeld, c. 1199 (Inchaffray, p. 5). William the Smith was juror on an inquest made at Traquair, 1274 (Bain, II, 34), Alan Smyth was one of the 'Gustatores Ceruisie' in Aberdeen, 1398 (CRA., p. 375), Thomas Smyth, Scotsman, had safe conduct into England in same year, and Patrick Smyth of Scotland was to be kept in custody in the Tower of London, 1401 (Bain, IV, 504,594). John Smyth was tenant of the 'Fabrile de Inveryalder,' 1539 (ER., XVII, p. 660), and Elizabeth Smythe and Margaret Smythe were heirs portioners of Alexander Smythe in Greinholme, 1621 (Retours, Ayr, 209,210). Prof. Alexander Smith (b. 1865), head of the department of chemistry in Columbia University, New York City, was born in Edinburgh. Smeayth 1661, Smyith 1453, Smyithe 1607, Smytht 1511.Stolen from Fore-bears

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English and Scandinavian) 1 Worker with the Hammer [Old English smiþ or smið = Old Norse smið-r (= Gothic smiþa] Se Smiþ secgþ: Hwanon þám yrþlinge sylan-scear oþþe culter, þe ná gáde hæfþ, búton of cræfte minon? Hwanon fiscere ancgel, oþþe sceó-wyrhtan œl, oþþe séa- mere nœdl, nis hit of mínon geweorce? (The Smith saith: Whence the ploughman [hisl ploughshare or coulter, who no goad hath, without my craft? Whence the fisherman [his] hook, or the shoemaker [his] awl, or the tailor [his] needle, unless through my work?) Ic hæbbe smiþas, ísene-smiþas, gold- smiþ, seolfor-smiþ, œr-smiþ, tréow-wyrht- an, and manega óþre mistlicra cræfta bigengeras.

(I have smiths, iron-smiths (blacksmiths), goldsmith, silversmith, brass- smith, carpenter(s, and many other tradesmen of various crafts,)—Ælfrici Colloquium, 10th cent.

Many Celtic Cairds and Gows, Gowans, and MacGowans, and many German Schmidts, have translated themselves into English Smiths.

(occasionally) 2 for Smeeth, Smeath, q.v.

Cp. Smyth(e.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

When not the name of an English settler family Smith is usually a synonym of MacGowan q.v.-nearly always so in Co. Gavan. App. Infra

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

According to Professor J. J. Smith, first editor of the official Afrikaans Dictionary, this commonest of names is found not only in English, but in Dutch and Danish with the same spelling, as distinct from Smit, etc. Other versions are Smythe and Smidth.

— South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English, Scot, Irish) The worker in metals.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

In entering upon the illustration of this surname, I feel almost overcome with the magnitude of my subject. Closely connected as it is with the personal identity of thousands upon thousands of my countrymen, enjoying as it does the proud pre-eminence of being the commonest of all English surnames, and associated as it must be with statistics, with anecdote, with archaeology, with varieties of orthography, the name of Smith is a topic which requires no common handling. Why, it demands a separate essay, a dissertation, a volume, to do it anything like justice! Nay, I am not quite sure that a new science to be designated Smithology would not prove quite as instructive as many existing ologies, while it would have the merit of being perhaps more amusing; assuredly it would come home both to "the business and bosoms" of a vast section of Englishmen. And I might go further afield and trace out the history of smith-craft from the days of Tubal-Cain-expatiate upon the labours of Vulcan, of Icarus, of Wayland Smith, and of St. Dunstan-show how men lived in the Iron Age-bring in the classical Fabri, and Fabricii, the Schmidts of Germany, the Lefevres of France, the Fabbroni of Italy, and the Gowana of Scotland, as members of this mighty race-and deal largely in irony and "smith's-work in general." But space forbids, and I must be as brief as possible. Let us first hammer out the archaeology of the subject. The word smith, then, is Anglo-Saxon from smitan, to smite-originally, "any one who strikes or smites with a hammer, an artificer, a carpenter, smith, workman." Boaworth. So general was the application of the word, that in the Saxon Chronicle we find the expression "mighty war-smiths" applied to valorous soldiers, and the great enemy of mankind is called "hell-smith," though this phrase, being also applied to Vulcan, has probably a direct reference to "smithery" in the modern sense. One who worked in iron was called iren-smith, an ironsmith. In later times, Smith was applied more specifically to a worker in metals, while myrhta, Wright, was the name given to artificers in wood and other materials. See Wright.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A worker in metals. The name is written Smyth, and Smythe. Some of the families of Smith are descended from Neil Cromb, third son of Murdoch, Chief of Clan Chattan, temp. William the Lion.

— The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

The most common of all surnames, and might of itself furnish matter enough for a volume. The word is derived from the Anglo—Saxon Smitan, to smite or strike.

"From whence comes Smith, all be he knight or squire,

But from the Smith that forgeth at the fire?"

VERSTEGAN.

Among the Highland clans, the smith ranked third in dignity to the chief, from his skill in fabricating military weapons, and his dexterity in teaching the use of them.

In Wales there were three sciences which a villain (tenant) could not teach his son without the consent of his lord, Scholarship, Bardism, and Smithcraft. This was one of the liberal sciences, and the term had a more comprehensive sense than we give to it at this time. The smith must have united in this profession, different branches of knowledge which are now practiced separately, such as raising the ore, converting it into metal, etc.

The term was originally applied to artificers in wood as well as metal, in fact, to all mechanical workmen, which accounts for the great frequency of the name.

The New York City Directory for 1856 (in which the names of the heads of families only, are given.) contains the names of more than eighteen hundred Smiths, of whom seventy—four are plain James Smiths, and one hundred and seventeen, John Smiths!

We see in the papers, that John Smith dies, is married, hanged, drowned, and brutally murdered, daily! John Smith doesn't identify anybody, and is therefore no name at all.

This numerous family is the subject of many laughable anecdotes and witty sallies. A wag, on a certain occasion, coming late to the theater, and wishing to get a seat, shouted at the top of his voice, "Mr. Smith's house is on fire!"The house was thinned five per cent., and the man of humor found a snug seat.

In many neighborhoods the name is so frequent that it is necessary to append some soubriquet to identify the person.

"Can yon tell me where Mr, Smith lives, mister?" "Smith—Smith—what Smith? there are a good many of that name in these parts—my name is Smith." "Why, I don't know his t'other name, but he's a sour, crabbed sort of fellow, and they call him 'Crab Smith. '" "Oh, the deuce! s'pose I'm the man."

But the best piece of humor relating to the name is the following which we take from Lower, which appeared some years since in the newspapers, under the title of

"The Smiths.

"Some very learned disquisitions are just now going on in the journals touching the origin and extraordinary extension of the family of 'the Smiths."

"Industrious explorers after derivatives and nominal roots, they say, would find in the name of John Smith a world of mystery; and a philologist in the Providence Journal, after having written some thirty columns for the enlightenment of the public thereanent, has thrown down his pen, and declared the subject exhaustless.

"From what has hitherto been discovered, it appears that the great and formidable family of the Smiths are the veritable descendants, in a direct line, from Shem, the son of Noah, the father of the Shemitish tribe, or the tribe of Shem; and it is thus derived—Shem, Shemit, Shmit, Smith. Another learned pundit, in the Philadelphia Gazette, contends for the universality of the name John Smith, not only in Great Britain and America, but among all kindred and nations on the face of the earth. Beginning with the Hebrew, he says, the Hebrews had no Christian names, consequently they had no Johns, and in Hebrew the name stood simply Shem or Shemit; but in the other nations John Smith is found at full, one and indivisible. Thus, Latin, Johannes Smithius; Italian, Giovanni Smithi; Spanish, Juan Smithas; Dutch, Hans Schmidt; French, Jean Smeets; Greek, 'Ιου Σκμίτου; Russian, Jonloff Skmittowski; Polish, Ivan Schmittiwciski; Chinese, Jahon Shimmit; Icelandic, Jahne Smithson; Welsh, Iihon Schmidd; Tuscarora, Ton Qa Smittia; Mexican, Jonth F'Smitti.Stolen from Fore-bears

"And then, to prove the antiquity of the name, the same savant observes, that 'among the cartouches deciphered by Rosselini, on the temple of Osiris in Egypt, was found the name of Pharaoh Smithosis, being the ninth in the eighteenth dynasty of Theban kings. He was the founder of the celebrated temple of Smithopolis Magna. ' We heartily congratulate the respectable multitude of the Smiths on these profound researches—researches which bid fair to explode the generally received opinion that the great family of the Smiths were the descendants of mere horse—shoers and hammer—men!"Stolen from Fore-bears

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Originally Faber or Le Fevre. See Faber. This name, arising from an important industry, the iron manufacture of the Middle Ages (which was chiefly employed in the fabrication of arms), comprises families of Norman and other origins. The name S. does not appear till the 13th cent., being then a translation from Faber or Le Fevre. Alberic Faber witnessed in 1075 a charter of William de Braiose of Sussex (Mon. i. 581). Reginald Faber, t. William I., gave lands at Egremont to St. Mary’s, York (i. 389). Godric Faber 1086 held lands at Walton, Suffolk, from Roger Bigod (Domesd. Suff. 339 b). The name oocurs frequently among the early benefactors of Bridlington and Gisborne Priories, York (Burton, Mon. Ebor.). In Durham, Mildred, Simon, and Humphrey Faber are mentioned as landowners in Boldon Book 1183; in Norfolk Richard Faber 1199 (Rotuli Curiae Regis); in Suffolk Henry Faber 1199 (Rotuli Curiae Regis); in Lincoln Ulestan Fitz-Godwin Faber paid a fine 1130 (Rot. Pip.). In Middlesex Roger Faber possessed estates 1130 (Rot. Pip.); in Surrey Alured Faber occurs c. 1200 (Rotuli Curiae Regis); Andrew F. in Berks, and Henry F. in Lincoln, at the same time (Ib.). William F. occurs in Leicester c. 1200 in a suit with Earl Ferrars (Rotuli Curiae Regis).

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Old Norse, Smiðr; from the Danish, Schmidt, Schmith, Smidt, Smidth, Smit, Smith; from the Dutch, Smid, Smiet, Smith, Smitt; from the Flemish, Smet, Smit; from the German, Schmidt, Schmitt; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Smith: a general term. There were Whitesmiths, i.e., Tinmen, Goldsmiths, Brownsmiths, Blacksmiths, Arrowsmiths, Spearsmiths, Nailsmiths, etc.

— Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

Smith. —This familiar name is universally distributed, but its relative frequency varies greatly in different parts of England. It is least frequent in the three south - west counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, where, it may be truly said, the Smiths do not flourish. It is also similarly infrequent in Wales. Its great home is in Worcestershire and in the adjacent counties of Gloucester, Warwick, and Stafford. It is also very numerous in Essex, in the east of England. In the extreme north it is rather less frequent; but it extends in numbers across the border, and is established over the greater part of Scotland, being most numerous in the counties south of the Forth and the Clyde. If we divide England into three parts by two lines, joining the Thames with the Severn, and the Wash with the Dee, we shall observe that the Smiths are most numerous in the middle division, less frequent in the northern division, and least numerous in the south.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Entire books have been written about the great English name of Smith. In origin this is an occupational name and comes from the Old English word ‘smith’ meaning ‘a metal-worker’. In this form it has remained unchanged for over 1,000 years, apart from the spelling variations of Smyth or Smythe. However, occasionally the name Smythe will in fact be a location name, deriving from Smithy. Thus it would mean ‘dweller at the smithy’.

The surname Smith has also frequently become double-barrelled, as for example in Robinson-Smith. The partner name in this case would have its own entirely separate deri­vation; it would usually be adapted from an indirect female line. Other variations on this name derive from specific trades-such as Brownsmith (meaning ‘copper or brass-smith’), or Greensmith (for ‘coppersmith’-the green referring either to the patina of copper, or to the colour of the flame when it is worked), Arrowsmith and Goldsmith. London’s borough of Hammersmith is named after a forge-a ‘hammer-smithy’.

Besides being easily the most popular name in England, Smith is also the most popular in Scotland, and in the United States (where the name will frequently have been anglicised from foreign sources, such as the German Schmidt). In Wales, however, Smith comes second to its greatest rival, Jones.

Besides the previously mentioned German form, there are also many other foreign versions of Smith. Some of the most widespread of these are Lefèvre (the French form), Kovac (in Slavonic languages), Haddad (in Hebrew), or Faber (from the Latin). Once again, these are only the simple forms and, like our English Smith, they also have their compound forms. The lesser-known examples are the French Orfèvre (goldsmith) and the German variation Messerschmidt (knifesmith).

Early examples of the name Smith were sometimes Latinised in the records to Faber. This name appears in the records from the 1066 Domesday Book onwards. However, the surname Smith has appeared in all records from the very earliest times and pre-dates the Domesday Book. The first reference comes in the Annals for Durham in AD 975, where one Ecceard Smith is mentioned.

One enterprising branch of the Smith family have blazoned the name on hundreds of British high streets. W.H. Smith (1792—1865) took over his father’s small news-stand in 1816 and later, helped by his son-also named William Henry (1825—91), expanded the business into the largest such enterprise in Great Britain, with over 300 outlets and 20,000 employees. The younger W.H. became an MP in 1868 and served as, amongst other things, First Lord of the Admiralty (1877). He was affectionately nicknamed ‘Old Morality’ by Punch and was the butt of the famous line, ‘Now I am the ruler of the Queen’s Nav-ee’ in Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1878 operetta HMS Pinafore.

Fiery-tempered British general, Sir Harry Smith (1787—1860), was Governor of Cape Colony and High Commissioner of South Africa from 1847 to 1852. During his colourful career he took part in the Peninsular War, witnessed with horror the burning of Washington DC during the War of 1812, and fought at Waterloo. Transferred to Cape Colony during the Cape Frontier War, he made an historic ride, galloping the 600 miles from Cape Town to Grahamstown in under six days, to tell terrified colonists that help was on the way. It is his wife whose memory is recalled by the town of Ladysmith in Natal.

The massive Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC was founded by the bequest of over £100,000 ‘to the United States of America for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men’ by English scientist James Smithson (1765— 1829), illegitimate son of Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland. He apparently made the bequest out of bitterness, writing, ‘My name shall live in the memory of man when the title of the Northumberlands are extinct and forgotten.’ One of the best-known of all Smiths was Sydney Smith (1771—1845). Lord Macaulay called him the ‘Smith of Smiths’, Abraham Lincoln quoted him frequently, Charles Dickens named a son after him, and even Queen Victoria found him amusing. Clergyman, wit and essayist, Smith was lauded in his lifetime as the greatest master of trenchant ridicule since Jonathan Swift and Voltaire, although he lacked their vitriol. For a quarter of a century he deflated pomposity and exposed hypocrisy as he fought for parliamentary reform and for emancipation of Catholics. Eventually made a canon of St Paul’s, he invented the still-common expression for a misfit: ‘a square peg in a round hole’. This master of quotable quotes once summed up his life by saying he had spent it like a razor, ‘in hot water or a scrape’.

The geographical centre of the United States lies in Smith County, Kansas.

Joseph Smith (1805—44), founder of the Mormon Church, claimed that an angel had presented him with golden plates and a book written in hieroglyphics which he translated with the aid of magic stones and had published as The Book of the Mormon. Having led his followers from New York State to Illinois, Smith claimed personal divinity and ruled with an iron hand until his plans to introduce polygamy caused violence and led to his arrest. While in goal he was killed by an angry mob.

London’s major meat market, Smithfield, north of St Paul’s, was long famous for its cattle sales. In the time of Mary Tudor it was the place where heretics were burnt at the stake. It takes its name from the Old English word smethe, meaning ‘smooth’.

Donald Alexander Smith, Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, served as High Commissioner for Canada from 1896 and at one time controlled both the Great Northern and the Canadian Pacific railways.

English-born Assyriologist George Smith (1840—76) achieved world-wide fame in 1872 by his translation of fragments of Chaldean tablets in the British Museum which described The Flood. Public interest ran so high that a London paper financed an expedition to search for the missing fragment. On the fifth day of digging Smith found it-an almost miraculous stroke of luck. His Chaldean Account was a nineteenth-century best-seller.

Smith-related places and geographic features are popular but not nearly as dominating as the surname itself. The United Kingdom has 6 towns with related names-Smith Green, Smithsfield, Smithincott, Smithston, Smithstown and Smithy Houses. Canada has a Smith, a Smithers and a Smithtown; Australia a Smithton; South Africa a Smithfield; and there’s a Smith in Argentina. The United States has 26 related-name towns-all are relatively small. Related-name geographic features are common.

With about 837,000 namesakes Smith is the most popular surname in England and Wales. There are over 69,000 Smiths in Scotland where it is also the most popular name. In Ireland it is estimated that with about 36,000, Smith is the 5th most popular surname. Smith is notably popular in and around Leicester where an estimated one in about 55 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Nottingham, Birmingham and Coventry are other Smith strongholds. Around the world Smiths are most common in Durban (one in 109 families), Sydney (one in 110) and Auckland (one in 133).

The United States has more Smiths than the entire population of West Yorkshire-an estimated total of just over 2,501,000 makes this their most popular surname.

— Peter Verstappen

User-submitted Reference

(English) The name Smith means 'blacksmith worker'.

- deleted-173293Read translated descriptions of this surname from other languagesSubmit the Meaning of This Surname for a Chance To Win a $60 Genealogy DNA TestDNA test informationDisplay Statistics on:

• Religious Adherence in:RussiaBelarusGeorgiaIrelandKazakhstanKenyaLebanonNigeriaRussiaUkraine
• Average Salary in:CanadaCanadaColombiaEnglandGuernseyIsle of ManItalyJerseyNorthern IrelandNorwayPeruScotlandSouth AfricaUnited StatesWales
• Height:EarthEarth
• Political Affiliation in:United StatesUnited States

Smith Demographics

Smith Religious Adherencein Russia

Sample size: 191 (2016)

Religious Adherencein Russia

View the most religious surnames in Russia

Smith Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Smith Come From? nationality or country of origin

Smith (Arabic: سمث, Bengali: স্মিথ, Hindi: स्मिथ, Marathi: मथ, Oriya: ସିଥ) is more commonly found in The United States than any other country or territory. It may also be found as: Šmith. Click here for further possible spellings of Smith.

How Common Is The Last Name Smith? popularity and diffusion

Smith is the 130th most frequently used surname on a worldwide basis, held by around 1 in 1,634 people. The last name Smith is primarily found in The Americas, where 57 percent of Smith reside; 54 percent reside in North America and 54 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 15,257th most frequently occurring first name in the world. It is borne by 62,897 people.

Smith is the most widely held surname in 11 countries: The United States, where 65 percent live, England, where 14 percent live, Australia, where 5 percent live, Canada, where 4 percent live, Scotland, where 1 percent live, New Zealand, where 0.31 percent live, Bermuda, where 0.05 percent live, Tuvalu, where 0.03 percent live, The British Virgin Islands, where 0.02 percent live, Jersey, where 0.01 percent live and Guernsey, where 0.01 percent live. The surname is most common in The United States, where it is held by 2,885,498 people, or 1 in 126. In The United States Smith is most numerous in: Texas, where 8 percent live, California, where 8 percent live and Florida, where 6 percent live. Outside of The United States this last name is found in 229 countries. It is also found in England, where 14 percent live and Australia, where 5 percent live.

Smith Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Smith has changed over time. In The United States the number of people who held the Smith surname increased 457 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 174 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it increased 121 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it increased 368 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it increased 134 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Smith Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the Smith last name is predominantly Catholic (63%) in Ireland, Orthodox (100%) in Georgia, Orthodox (72%) in Russia, Orthodox (92%) in Belarus, Muslim (100%) in Kazakhstan, Christian (100%) in Kenya, Evangelical (60%) in Lebanon, Christian (90%) in Nigeria and Orthodox (54%) in Ukraine.

In The United States those holding the Smith surname are 12.46% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 59.23% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Smith earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 0.2% more than the national average, earning €30,091 per year; in Norway they earn 35.75% more than the national average, earning 469,802 kr per year; in Peru they earn 37.67% more than the national average, earning S/. 26,687 per year; in South Africa they earn 44.29% more than the national average, earning R 342,888 per year; in Colombia they earn 3.57% more than the national average, earning $23,513,400 COP per year; in United States they earn 6.03% less than the national average, earning $40,546 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.97% more than the national average, earning $50,661 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A

Surname	Similarity	Worldwide Incidence	Prevalency
Šmith	93	6	/
Smithe	91	1,068	/
Smidth	91	145	/
Shmith	91	96	/
Smitth	91	95	/
Smithh	91	69	/
Smaith	91	46	/
Smmith	91	29	/
Ssmith	91	26	/
Smieth	91	24	/
Scmith	91	23	/
Smioth	91	19	/
Smoith	91	16	/
Smitht	91	13	/
Hsmith	91	13	/
Smeith	91	6	/
Smuith	91	6	/
Zsmith	91	3	/
Sxmith	91	2	/
Smithd	91	2	/
Smijth	91	1	/
Xsmith	91	1	/
Smihth	91	1	/
Smitdh	91	0	/
Smit	89	157,459	/
Schmith	83	1,635	/
D'Smith	83	27	/
Scmidth	83	3	/
Shmeith	83	2	/
Jssmith	83	1	/
Smoitch	83	1	/
Shmidth	83	1	/
Shmithe	83	1	/
Szmidth	83	1	/
Smyth	80	62,963	/
Smidt	80	10,246	/
Szmit	80	4,100	/
Smite	80	3,544	/
Smitt	80	2,020	/
Shmit	80	1,237	/
Smiet	80	239	/
Smeth	80	224	/
Smiht	80	157	/
Smist	80	136	/
Smitd	80	23	/
Zmith	80	22	/
Smidh	80	18	/
Scmit	80	7	/
Xmith	80	6	/
Smeit	80	4	/
Smhit	80	3	/
Smait	80	3	/
Smıth	80	3	/
Jmith	80	2	/
Smiot	80	1	/
Smgit	80	1	/
Ssmit	80	1	/
Hsmit	80	1	/
Smýth	80	1	/
Sxmit	80	1	/
Jsmit	80	1	/
Smmit	80	1	/
Dsmit	80	0	/
Schmidth	77	118	/
Smithová	77	39	/
Schmithd	77	3	/
Smithova	77	3	/
Schmithe	77	2	/
Schmmith	77	2	/
Schmitht	77	1	/
Schmitdh	77	1	/
Schmitth	77	0	/
Ssssmith	77	0	/
Shmidt	73	40,064	/
Schmit	73	22,626	/
Smythe	73	15,638	/
Szmidt	73	5,939	/
Shmeit	73	1,789	/
Smeeth	73	672	/
Scmidt	73	394	/
Smeath	73	332	/
Shmait	73	315	/
Shmitt	73	303	/
Scmitt	73	146	/
Szmist	73	120	/
Shmitd	73	85	/
Smiedt	73	62	/
Smitte	73	46	/
Smidte	73	41	/
Szmiot	73	32	/
Smeitz	73	23	/
Shmite	73	21	/
Smicht	73	17	/
Szmitd	73	13	/
Smeths	73	7	/
Smyths	73	6	/
Smidtt	73	5	/
Szmitt	73	5	/
Scmait	73	2	/
Smaitt	73	1	/
Shmiot	73	1	/
Smitdt	73	1	/
Smayth	73	1	/
Smethe	73	1	/
Smihtt	73	1	/
Sjmidt	73	1	/
Smgidt	73	1	/
Smaite	73	0	/
Smeidt	73	0	/
Shmeth	73	0	/
Smydth	73	0	/
Smittd	73	0	/
Smedth	73	0	/
Smuits	73	0	/
Smiett	73	0	/
Ssmyth	73	0	/
Schmidthe	71	4	/
Schmidt	67	1,087,011	/
Schmitt	67	274,771	/
Smet	67	10,647	/
Smid	67	7,308	/
Šmit	67	1,277	/
Zmit	67	1,084	/
Schmitd	67	431	/
Smyt	67	118	/
Schmiot	67	72	/
Cmit	67	30	/
Smjt	67	24	/
Smitova	67	24	/
Smitová	67	21	/
Schmiet	67	17	/
Schmist	67	16	/
Szmiett	67	12	/
Schmidh	67	6	/
Scmhidt	67	6	/
Szmiedt	67	6	/
Schmizt	67	5	/
Schmait	67	4	/
Schmeit	67	4	/
Smeethe	67	4	/
Şmit	67	3	/
Shmidte	67	2	/
Schmiht	67	2	/
Shzmidt	67	2	/
Scmhitt	67	1	/
Sshmidt	67	1	/
Smoythe	67	1	/
Shmidtt	67	1	/
Schmeth	67	1	/
Smichdt	67	1	/
Smysthe	67	1	/
Scmidtt	67	1	/
Schmmit	67	1	/
Schmitp	67	1	/
Shmiedt	67	1	/
Śmit	67	1	/
Smeeths	67	1	/
Schmihd	67	1	/
Szchmit	67	1	/
Smichtz	67	1	/
Shmitdt	67	1	/
Xmit	67	1	/
Schmuit	67	0	/
Smidtte	67	0	/
Shmiddt	67	0	/
Smydthe	67	0	/
Schmyth	67	0	/
Shmeidt	67	0	/
Shmeitz	67	0	/

Show All Similar Surnames

Smith Name Transliterations

Transliteration	ICU Latin	Percentage of Incidence
Smith in the Bengali language
স্মিথ	smitha	-
Smith in the Hindi language
स्मिथ	smitha	92.31
स्मीथ	smitha	3.85
स्मिथ्	smith	1.54
स्म्िथ	smitha	0.77
Show All Transliterations
Smith in the Marathi language
मथ	matha	70.49
मीथ	mitha	28.69
मीत	mita	0.82
Show All Transliterations
Smith in the Oriya language
ସିଥ	sitha	54.55
ସିଥ୍	sith	30.3
ସିତ୍	sit	6.06
ସୀତ	sita	3.03
ସିତ	sita	3.03
ସିଥର	sithara	3.03
Smith in the Arabic language
سمث	smth	-
سميث	smyth	-

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Smith Reference & Research

Smith Official (All) FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Smith Official (All) FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

Smiths of Abbeville FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

• Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
• Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
• Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
• Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
• Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
• Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
• Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Smith
• To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis