The first name Smith
A boy’s name from English meaning “a surname”, “smith”.
Pronounced /smɪθ/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Smith means “a surname”, “smith” in English.
From smith or Middle English Smith (“a surname”), alternative form of Smyth, itself from smyth (“smith”). Doublet of Schmidt, Smid, and Smit.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Smith last appeared in the official list in 2022, given to 3 boys. It peaked in 2017, with 7 births (#2,734).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Smith with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Smith at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 120 boys born in the United States were named Smith, the 1,483rd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2016, when 162 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Smith in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Smithe
- Smyth
- Smythe
Famous people named Smith
19 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Benjamin Smith BartonAmerican physician, professor, and botanist (1766-1815)
- Smith WigglesworthBritish evangelist (1859-1947)
- Carlyle Smith BealsCanadian astronomer (1899-1979)
- Smith ChoAmerican actress, born 1985
- William Smith ClarkAmerican chemist, soldier, botanist and university teacher (1826 – 1886)
- Stanley Smith StevensAmerican psychologist & scholar (1906-1973)
- Smith BallewAmerican actor, singer and orchestra leader (1902-1984)
- Justin Smith MorrillAmerican politician (1810–1898)
- Smith StreeterAmerican roque player (1851–1930)
- Lucky Blue SmithAmerican model, born 1998
- Albert Smith WhiteAmerican politician (1803-1864)
- Thomas Smith WebbAmerican writer, 1771–1819
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Smith mean?
- Smith means “a surname”, “smith” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Smith?
- From smith or Middle English Smith (“a surname”), alternative form of Smyth, itself from smyth (“smith”). Doublet of Schmidt, Smid, and Smit.
- How popular is the name Smith?
- In 2022, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Smith, ranking 4,789th. Its peak was 2017, with 7 births.
- Is Smith a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 97% of the 5,664 US babies named Smith since 1880 were boys.
- When was Smith most popular?
- 2016 in the United States, when 162 babies were named Smith, its highest rank at 1,178th.
- How do you pronounce Smith?
- Smith is /smɪθ/, one syllable.
- What are other spellings of Smith?
- Smithe, Smyth and Smythe.
- Is Smith also a surname?
- Yes. Smith is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.