Smith

Where Smith comes from

From smith or Middle English Smith (“a surname”), alternative form of Smyth, itself from smyth (“smith”). Doublet of Schmidt, Smid, and Smit.
— Wiktionary's entry for Smith
  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1768
    Smith Thompson born
    United States federal judge
  2. 1859
    Smith Wigglesworth born
    British evangelist
  3. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #465 among boys — 15 babies in the first year on record.
  4. 1885
    Peak, #318
    28 babies named Smith — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1891
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #524.
  6. 1973
    Mostly boys from here
    Until now more girls than boys got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Smith Thompson · United States federal judge, 1768–1843
  • Smith Wigglesworth · British evangelist, 1859–1947
  • Smith Cho · American actress, born 1985
  • Smith Ballew · American actor, singer and orchestra leader, 1902–1984
  • Smith Streeter · American roque player, 1851–1930

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.