Smith (surname)

Smith

A close-up of a blacksmith at work; Smith became a popular last name for those with this occupation.
Pronunciation	/ˈsmɪθ/
Origin
Word/name	Old English
Meaning	From smitan (to smite)
Region of origin	England
Other names
Variant form(s)	Numerous
[1][2]

Smith is an occupational surname^[3] originating in England. It is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom,^[1][4] the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand,^[5] and the fifth most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. In the United States, the surname Smith is particularly prevalent among those of English, Scottish, and Irish descent,^[6] but is also a common surname among African-Americans, which can be attributed either to African slaves having been given the surname of their masters, or to being an occupational name, as some southern African-Americans took this surname to reflect their or their father's trade.^[7] 2,442,977 Americans shared the surname Smith at the time of the 2010 census,^[8] and more than 500,000 people shared it in the United Kingdom as of 2006.^[9] 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";^[10] and sufficiently common on the (European) continent (in various forms) to be "common in most countries of Europe".^[11]