Origins of the Smith surname

What does the name Smith mean?

One of the most popular surnames in the English-speaking world, Smith is the most prevalent in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Particularly common among those of English, Scottish and Irish heritage, but also often used by African Americans as a result of the enslaved being given the surname of their slavers, and with variants of Smith common in almost every country in Europe. It dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era and derives from the occupation of 'smith', from the Old English 'Smid', which means to hit or to strike, and was used to describe someone who worked with metal (a blacksmith for example). The Smith surname would have been given to those with a connection to this occupation, in the era before surnames were inherited. Due to the occupational nature of this surname, there are many diverse branches of the Smith family, and there is believed to be no common line of origin to be traced back to.

Alternative variations of the name Smith

Smith, Smyth, Smythe, Smithe, Smit