# Nesmith (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/nesmith/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Middle English [in turn originating as an occupation].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 7,097 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,955 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 43,504 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.9% (6,898 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Naismith, Nessmith |

## Etymology

Occupational surname for a maker of knives or nails, from Middle English knyf (“knife”) or nayl (“nail”) + smith.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Nesmith in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 52% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 41% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Nesmith in the United States.

## People named Nesmith

- Michael Nesmith, American musician, songwriter, actor (1942–2021)
- Aaron Nesmith, American basketball player (born 1999)
- James Nesmith, American politician
- Ottola Nesmith, actress (1889-1972)

## Similar surnames

Nugent, Nakamoto, Nishimoto.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.