England
The last name Smith did come from the word blacksmith, but silversmith, goldsmith etc etc as well. Smith is a family name (surname) originating in England. It is the most prevalent 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. Report Abuse. The last name Smith did come from the word blacksmith, but silversmith, goldsmith etc etc as well. A smith was a craftsman, normally someone who worked with metals. In the middle ages people were known by their first names and occupations IE, James the miller, it then became James Miller. Getty / Edward Carlile Portraits. Derived from the Anglo-Saxon smitan, meaning to smite or strike, SMITH and its derivations are an occupational name for a man who works with metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist skills were required. The amazing, monumentally prolific surname Smith is first found in the ancient records of Northern England and Scotland, where they'd held family seat. In ancient Scotland, the Picts were the forefathers of this family. The Scottish Clan Chieftan Neil Cromb is an asserted ancestor. Recorded in the spellings of Smith, Smithe, Smythe, and the patronymics Smiths, and Smithson, this is the most popular surname in the English speaking world by a considerable margin. Smith still tops the list of most popular surnames in England and America, and is also a very common last name in Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and Australia. Surname Origin: English. Alternate Surname Spellings: SMYTH, SMYTHE, SCHMIDT. The name SMITH is probably the most common of all surnames. The only names that give it any competition for this title would be Jones and Johnson. The most widely accepted derivation of the name is from the Anglo-Saxon SMITAN and the Germanic verb “Smioan” meaning to smite or strike.
https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061116112447AANERHb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_(surname) https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061116112447AANERHb http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/p/smith.htm http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_does_the_surname_smith_come_from http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Smith http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/p/smith.htm http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eja7smith/Smith_-_History_of_the_Name.html
where does the name smith come from