The Most Common Name in America

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Smith has long been the most common surname in both the United States and Great Britain. In fact, Smith has been the most common last name in the United States since its founding. Each U.S. census lists more and more Smiths, from 274,919 in 1850 to 2,376,206 in 2000. Figure 1 shows the distribution of Smiths in America in 1880. Yet the name is far from generic and has a rich and complicated history.

 

Surnames began to come about in the Middle Ages, when people were often identified by their trade. Just about every village in Britain had a smith, usually a blacksmith, who made horseshoes, plows, swords, armor, and other needed items. These workers were skilled and had status in the community, which contributed to the name’s wide usage. Some names were once more specific, with people called Combsmith or Smithson, and were later shortened to Smith.

 

American Smiths do not share anything close to a common lineage. They are black and white, with ties to German Schmidts, Irish O’Gowans, or former slaves. The name is sometimes even the result of translations by clerks or immigration officers. For instance, according to the authors of Surnames, DNA, and Family History the Gaelic name MacGowan means “son of the smith” and so was sometimes translated as “Smith.”

 

Census data show that there have been Smiths all over the United States from the beginning, especially more populous states like New York and Pennsylvania. (Dalzell)