Smith (surname)

Smith (surname)
For a list of people with surname Smith, see List of people with surname Smith.
Smith
Family name
Blacksmith at work02.jpg
A close-up of a blacksmith at work. Smith became a popular last name for those with this occupation.
Pronunciation /ˈsmɪθ/
Meaning derived from smitan meaning to smite or strike
Region of origin England
Related names numerous
Footnotes: [1][2]

Smith is an English family name (surname)[3] originating in England. It is the most common surname in the United Kingdom,[1] Australia and the United States,[4] the second most common surname in Canada, and the fifth most common surname in Ireland. The surname Smith is particularly prevalent among those of English and Irish descent,[5] but is also a common surname among African Americans, which can be attributed to black slaves adopting the name during the era of slavery and after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.[6] At least 3 million people in the United States share the surname Smith, and more than 500,000 people share it in the United Kingdom.[7] At the turn of the 20th century, the surname was sufficiently prevalent in England to have prompted the statement: "Common to every village in England, north, south, east and west";[8] and sufficiently common on the (European) continent (in various forms) to be "...common in most countries of Europe."[9]

Contents

Etymology and history

The name originally derives from smið or smiþ, the Old English term meaning one who works in metal related to the word smitan, the Old English form of smite, which also meant strike (as in early 17th century Biblical English: the verb "to smite" = to hit). The Old English word smiþ comes from the Proto-Germanic word smiþaz. Smithy comes from the Old English word smiððe from the Proto-Germanic smiðjon. The use of Smith as an occupational surname dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when inherited surnames were still unknown: Ecceard Smith of County Durham, North East England, was recorded in 975.[10] Another possible source is that "smite" referred to the occupation of being a warrior[citation needed].

Although the name is derived from a common occupation, many later Smiths had no connection to that occupation, but adopted or were given the surname precisely because of its commonness. For example:

  • It is not uncommon for people in English-speaking countries to adopt the surname Smith in order to maintain a secret identity, when they wish to avoid being found. Smith is an extremely common name among English Gypsies; see also John Smith.[citation needed]
  • During the colonization of North America, some Native Americans took the name for use in dealing with colonists.[citation needed]
  • During the period of slavery in the United States, many other slaves were known by the surname of their masters, or adopted those surnames upon their emancipation.
  • During the World Wars, many German Americans Anglicised the common and equivalent German surname Schmidt to Smith to avoid discrimination.[citation needed]
Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island; some chose more "American" surnames, like "Smith", on arrival.

A popular misconception holds that at the beginning of the 20th century, when many new immigrants were entering the U.S., civil servants at Ellis Island responsible for cataloging the entry of such persons sometimes arbitrarily assigned new surnames if the immigrants' original surname was particularly lengthy, or difficult for the processor to spell or pronounce.[citation needed] While such claims are likely vastly exaggerated,[11] many immigrants did choose to begin their American lives with more "American" names, particularly with Anglicized versions of their birth names; the German Schmidt was often Anglicized to Smith not only during the World Wars, but also commonly in times of peace, and the equivalent Polish Kowalski was Anglicized to Smith as well.

Variations

Variations of the surname Smith also remain very common. These include different spellings of the English term, and versions in other languages.

English variations

There is some disagreement about the origins of the numerous variations of the name Smith. The addition of an "e" at the end of the name is sometimes considered an affectation, but may have arisen either as an attempt to spell "smithy" or as the Middle English adjectival form of "smith",[12] which would have been used in surnames based on location rather than occupation (in other words, for someone living near or at the smithy).[13] Likewise, the replacement of the "i" with a "y" in "Smyth" or "Smythe" is also often considered an affectation but may have originally occurred because of the difficulty of reading blackletter text, where "Smith" might look like "Snuth" or "Simth".[12] Some variants (such as Smijth) were adopted by individuals for personal reasons, while others may have arisen independently or as offshoots from the 'Smith' root. Names such as Smither and Smithers may in some cases be variants of 'Smith' but in others independent surnames based on a meaning of 'light and active' attributed to smyther.[13] Additional derivatives include Smithman, Smithson and Smithfield (see below).[13] Athersmith may derive from 'at the Smith'[14]. The true reasoning I do not know, but variations may tell the uniqueness.

Other variations focus on specialisms within the profession; for example Blacksmith, from those who worked predominantly with iron, Whitesmith, from those who worked with tin (and the more obvious Tinsmith), Brownsmith, Redsmith, and Greensmith (colour when oxidised) from those who worked with copper (and the more obvious Coppersmith), Silversmith and Goldsmith – and those based on the goods produced, such as Hammersmith, Bladesmith, Naismith (nail-smith), Arrowsmith which in turn was shortened to Arsmith,[15] or Shoesmith (referring to horseshoes).[13] Sixsmith has nothing to do with six smiths but it is variant spelling of a sickle or scythe smith.[16] Wildsmith in turn is a corruption of wheelsmith[17]

The patronymic practice of attaching "son" to the end of a name to indicate that the bearer is the child of the original holder has also led to the surnames Smithson and Smisson.

Other languages

Other languages with different words for the occupation of smith also produced surnames based on that derivation.

Germanic languages

Romance languages

Words derived from the Latin term for smith (literally "one who works with iron"), such as the Italian words fabbro and ferraio, are the root of last names common in several parts of Europe.[citation needed]

Celtic languages

In Ireland and Scotland, the word for smith, gobha, is found in the surname MacGowan/McGowan. This surname is an Anglicised form of Mac Gobhann (Scottish Gaelic), Mac Gabhann (Irish), meaning "son of the smith".[18] In England the surname Goff, which is common in East Anglia, is derived from the Breton and Cornish goff a cognate of the Gaelic gobha. This particular surname was brought to England by Bretons, following the Norman Conquest of England.[19]

Slavic and nearby languages

The Slavic, Romanian and Hungarian languages contain a family of surnames that similarly derive from a common root referring to the metalworking occupation.

Other

Comparative note

Although Smith is the most common surname in the English-speaking world, it is held by fewer than five million people worldwide. Its popularity is dwarfed by the world's most common surname Li, which is held by over one hundred and eight million people. Indeed, each of the twenty most common last names in China represents more people than all of the world's Smiths.[citation needed]

Smith was the most common surname in Canada until 2006, when it was overtaken by Li.[20]

Notable people sharing the surname "Smith"

Main article: List of people with surname Smith

See also

  • Smith (taxonomic authority)
  • Smith and Jones (disambiguation)
  • Smithson (son of Smith)
  • Mayor Smith (disambiguation)
  • General Smith (disambiguation)
  • Governor Smith (disambiguation)
  • President Smith (disambiguation)
  • Judge Smith (disambiguation)

Notes

  1. ^ a b British surnames
  2. ^ 1990 Census Name Files
  3. ^ SMITH - Name Meaning & Origin
  4. ^ 2000 Census: Frequently Occurring Surnames
  5. ^ Citation: Brooke, 2006.
  6. ^ Franklin Carter Smith, Emily Anne Croom, A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors (2009), p. 109-110.
  7. ^ Citation: Smith surname at YourNotMe.
  8. ^ Citation: Bardsley, 1901.
  9. ^ a b c Citation: Anderson, 1863.
  10. ^ Citation: Simpson, 2007.
  11. ^ USCIS Home Page
  12. ^ a b Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.
  13. ^ a b c d Citation: Lower, 1860.
  14. ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Athersmith
  15. ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Arsmith
  16. ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Sixsmith
  17. ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Wildsmith
  18. ^ [1]
  19. ^ [2]
  20. ^ "Common surnames". CBC.ca (CBC News). 2007-07-26. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/name-change/common-surnames.html. Retrieved 2008-01-27. "...the source is a Nebraska-based company called infoUSA, which claims to have put together a directory of every telephone listing in Canada." 

References

External links


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