UK boy's name
Smith
From the Old English "smitan" meaning "to strike".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Smith is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Smith popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4789, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 7 births.
This profile covers 41 England and Wales registrations across 11 recorded years from 2006 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 44 living people in the UK are called Smith. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Smith ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales in 2022, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 7 boys were registered as Smith.
- • Smith ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
- • About 44 living people in the UK are estimated to have Smith as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4789
2022
Births in 2022
3
Latest year
Peak year
2017
7 births
Estimated living
44
2026
Meaning
What does Smith mean?
The given name Smith has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon language, specifically from the Old English word "smitan," which means "to strike." This name was likely given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers during the Middle Ages in England.
Smith is one of the most common occupational surnames that later became a given name. The earliest recorded use of the name Smith dates back to the 11th century in England. Some notable individuals with the given name Smith throughout history include Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947), a famous British evangelist and faith healer.
Another notable figure was Smith W. Brookhart (1869-1944), an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Iowa. Smith Wildman Brookhart was a Republican and a prominent isolationist during the interwar period. Smith Burnett (1714-1785) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and landowner from Virginia.
Smith Thompson (1768-1843) was an American jurist who served as the sixth Secretary of the Navy and as a Supreme Court Justice. Additionally, Smith Ely Jelliffe (1866-1945) was an American neurologist and psychiatrist known for his contributions to the field of psychoanalysis.
While the name Smith is primarily associated with its occupational origins in metalworking, it has since become a widely used given name across various cultures and regions, transcending its initial occupational connotations.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Smith over time
The chart below shows babies named Smith registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2022. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Smith, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2022, compared with 7 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Smith by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Smith was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4699 | 6 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4017 | 29 | 7 |
| 2000s | #4193 | 6 | 2 |
Geography
Where Smith is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Smith. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Smith ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #638 in 2010.
Across the UK
Smith in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#638 in 2010
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Smith
-
Smith Whiting
photographer; architect
British wildlife photographer (1872-1936)
1872-1936
-
Smith Wigglesworth
pastor; missionary
British evangelist (1859-1947)
1859-1947
Related
Names similar to Smith
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Smith: questions and answers
How popular is the name Smith in the UK right now?
In 2022, Smith was ranked #4789 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Smith most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 7 babies registered as Smith in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Smith?
From the Old English "smitan" meaning "to strike".
How many people are called Smith in the UK?
A total of 41 babies have been registered as Smith across the 11 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Smith most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Smith ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #638 in 2010. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.