Meaning of Last Name

Meaning: derived from smitan meaning to smite or strike

Origins: Anglo-Saxon

Smith is an English-language family name (surname) originating in the British Isles. It is the most common surname in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, 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, but is also a common surname among African Americans, which can be attributed to black slaves taking the name from their white owners during the era of slavery, similarly the Irish and Scottish name Mac Gabhann (from the Gaelic) was often anglicised to Smith. At least 3 million people in the United States share the surname Smith, and more than ½ million share it in the United Kingdom. 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"; and sufficiently common on the (European) continent (in various forms) to be "...common in most countries of Europe."