NameCensus.

UK surname

Smith

An occupational surname referring to a metalworker or blacksmith.

In the 1881 census there were 422,249 people recorded with the Smith surname, ranking it #1 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 550,878, also still ranked #1.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smith is 570,014 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.5%.

1881 census count

422,249

Ranked #1

Modern count

550,878

2016, ranked #1

Peak year

1999

570,014 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Smith had 422,249 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 550,878 in 2016, ranked #1.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 525,872 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Smith surname distribution map

The map shows where the Smith surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Smith surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smith over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 280,277 #1
1861 historical 311,445 #1
1881 historical 422,249 #1
1891 historical 469,796 #1
1901 historical 525,872 #1
1911 historical 513,212 #1
1997 modern 547,973 #1
1998 modern 567,795 #1
1999 modern 570,014 #1
2000 modern 566,772 #1
2001 modern 548,979 #1
2002 modern 557,272 #1
2003 modern 541,940 #1
2004 modern 539,744 #1
2005 modern 528,628 #1
2006 modern 528,303 #1
2007 modern 532,216 #1
2008 modern 534,654 #1
2009 modern 546,648 #1
2010 modern 563,115 #1
2011 modern 553,742 #1
2012 modern 540,942 #1
2013 modern 552,792 #1
2014 modern 556,889 #1
2015 modern 552,328 #1
2016 modern 550,878 #1

Geography

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Where Smiths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Lambeth and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and East Riding of Yorkshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 110 Leeds
2 Manchester 032 Manchester
3 Birmingham 096 Birmingham
4 Oxford 008 Oxford
5 East Riding of Yorkshire 022 East Riding of Yorkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smith

These lists show first names that appear often with the Smith surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smith

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Smith, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Smith surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Smith household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Smith is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Smith is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Smith falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Smith is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Smith, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Smith

The surname Smith originated in England, Scotland, and other parts of the British Isles. It dates back to the Middle Ages, deriving from the Old English word "smitan," meaning to strike or hammer. Smiths were skilled metalworkers, particularly blacksmiths, who crafted tools, weapons, and other metal objects.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Smith is found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England conducted in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the name Smith or variations like Smyth and Smythe are listed in this ancient record.

During the medieval period, the surname Smith was often associated with specific locations or places, leading to the formation of locative surnames like Ashbysmith or Greensmith. These names indicated a smith residing in or near a particular town or geographical feature.

One of the earliest known Smiths was John le Smyth, who lived in Yorkshire, England, in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was William Smyth, a 15th-century English scholar and bishop who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

In Scotland, the surname Smith has a long history, with instances dating back to the 13th century. Sir Michael Scot, a renowned philosopher and scholar from the early 13th century, was also known by the surname Smyth.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Smith gained further prominence with individuals like Sir Thomas Smythe, an English merchant and financier who played a significant role in the establishment of the East India Company in the early 17th century.

Another famous Smith was Captain John Smith, an English soldier, author, and explorer who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony in Virginia in the early 17th century. His writings and accounts of the New World are considered invaluable historical sources.

In the realm of science, Robert Smith, an English mathematician and astronomer from the 17th century, made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets.

The surname Smith has also been associated with various notable figures in literature and the arts, including the renowned English poet Charlotte Smith, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the American artist Patti Smith, a pioneer of the punk rock movement in the 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Smith families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smith surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 46,472 Smiths recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.14x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 46,472 1.14x
Lancashire 45,465 0.93x
Middlesex 41,554 1.01x
Surrey 20,524 1.02x
Staffordshire 17,218 1.24x
Warwickshire 14,811 1.42x
Kent 14,641 1.04x
Durham 12,173 0.99x
Lanarkshire 11,463 0.86x
Essex 10,833 1.33x
Gloucestershire 10,448 1.29x
Hampshire 8,449 1.00x
Derbyshire 8,257 1.28x
Lincolnshire 8,117 1.23x
Suffolk 7,649 1.52x
Nottinghamshire 7,627 1.37x
Norfolk 7,290 1.15x
Worcestershire 7,244 1.34x
Cheshire 7,114 0.78x
Leicestershire 7,087 1.55x
Sussex 6,351 0.91x
Aberdeenshire 6,070 1.59x
Northamptonshire 5,680 1.46x
Northumberland 5,406 0.88x
Angus 5,244 1.37x
Midlothian 5,225 0.95x
Somerset 4,353 0.66x
Wiltshire 4,238 1.16x
Berkshire 3,565 1.15x
Hertfordshire 3,482 1.22x
Devon 3,418 0.40x
Ayrshire 3,113 1.01x
Cambridgeshire 3,033 1.16x
Oxfordshire 2,988 1.17x
Bedfordshire 2,949 1.38x
Buckinghamshire 2,847 1.14x
Glamorgan 2,744 0.38x
Cumberland 2,613 0.74x
Renfrewshire 2,515 0.79x
Fife 2,246 0.92x
Shropshire 2,122 0.60x
Banffshire 1,901 2.22x
Herefordshire 1,799 1.06x
Monmouthshire 1,699 0.57x
Dorset 1,545 0.57x
Perthshire 1,331 0.72x
Cornwall 1,303 0.28x
Shetland 1,251 2.97x
Ross-shire 1,128 1.00x
Huntingdonshire 1,103 1.35x
Stirlingshire 1,085 0.71x
Dumfriesshire 997 1.09x
Morayshire 930 1.45x
Dunbartonshire 922 0.83x
Argyllshire 876 0.76x
Kincardineshire 862 1.72x
Inverness-shire 602 0.49x
East Lothian 601 1.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 547 0.92x
West Lothian 509 0.82x
Rutland 498 1.64x
Denbighshire 478 0.31x
Royal Navy 461 0.94x
Roxburghshire 444 0.59x
Westmorland 425 0.47x
Channel Islands 417 0.34x
Wigtownshire 412 0.75x
Pembrokeshire 410 0.31x
Orkney 392 0.86x
Flintshire 310 0.28x
Berwickshire 288 0.58x
Selkirkshire 280 0.75x
Caithness 279 0.49x
Montgomeryshire 250 0.26x
Brecknockshire 242 0.29x
Carmarthenshire 217 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 194 0.12x
Peeblesshire 172 0.89x
Buteshire 158 0.63x
Isle of Man 156 0.20x
Radnorshire 148 0.44x
Clackmannanshire 115 0.34x
Merionethshire 115 0.15x
Nairnshire 94 0.75x
Anglesey 85 0.12x
Cardiganshire 64 0.06x
Kinross-shire 57 0.55x
Sutherland 38 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 4,722 Smiths recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.36x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 4,722 1.36x
Aston 4,141 1.45x
Islington London 4,016 1.00x
Lambeth 3,752 1.04x
St Pancras London 3,453 1.04x
Barony 2,899 0.86x
Camberwell 2,735 1.04x
Govan 2,718 0.82x
Hackney London 2,483 1.07x
Leeds 2,474 1.07x
Liverpool 2,474 0.83x
St Marylebone London 2,203 1.00x
Kensington London 2,134 0.93x
Nottingham St Mary 2,129 1.48x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2,109 0.95x
West Ham 2,044 1.14x
Glasgow 2,017 0.85x
Manchester 1,954 0.89x
Shoreditch London 1,914 1.07x
Dundee 1,767 1.24x
Bethnal Green London 1,766 0.99x
Stoke Upon Trent 1,650 1.12x
Portsea 1,623 0.98x
Newington 1,600 1.05x
Leicester St Margaret 1,572 1.41x
Blackburn 1,532 1.18x
Sheffield 1,469 1.13x
Battersea 1,454 0.96x
Mile End Old Town 1,448 2.22x
Paddington London 1,417 0.93x
Keighley 1,382 3.17x
Salford 1,382 0.96x
West Derby 1,340 0.94x
St George Hanover 1,338 2.49x
Toxteth Park 1,334 0.80x
Chelsea London 1,323 1.06x
Wolverhampton 1,293 1.21x
Brighton 1,289 0.92x
Everton 1,283 0.82x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1,223 1.71x
Bradford 1,211 1.22x
Oldham 1,177 0.75x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1,176 1.47x
Preston 1,176 0.90x
Bermondsey 1,154 0.94x
Deptford St Paul 1,112 1.02x
Croydon 1,078 0.97x
Bishopwearmouth 1,061 1.01x
West Bromwich 1,032 1.29x
Holy Trinity 1,031 1.05x
Ashton Under Lyne 1,010 0.94x
Bromley London 1,004 1.11x
Hulme 996 0.97x
Southwark St George Martyr 958 1.15x
Walsall Foreign 958 1.33x
Dudley 934 1.43x
Horton In Bradford 918 1.44x
Lewisham 914 1.22x
Clerkenwell London 912 0.94x
Hammersmith London 905 0.89x
Ecclesall Bierlow 892 1.07x
Burnley 890 2.16x
Brightside Bierlow 879 1.10x
Gateshead 879 0.96x
Poplar London 829 1.06x
Westoe 822 1.18x
Tottenham 798 1.21x
Cheltenham 779 1.25x
Habergham Eaves 774 1.73x
Fulham London 771 1.29x
Great Yarmouth 769 1.46x
Halifax 756 1.26x
St Luke London 740 1.12x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 725 0.95x
Sculcoates 724 1.12x
Rathven 722 4.49x
Hunslet 704 1.10x
Greenwich 692 1.05x
Sedgley 691 1.34x
Liff Benvie 685 1.18x
Great Bolton 680 1.05x
Bury 679 1.21x
Derby St Werburgh 671 1.80x
Bedminster 667 1.07x
Nether Hallam 666 1.20x
Kings Norton 665 1.38x
Manningham 656 1.30x
Kirkdale 652 0.79x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Smith surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 24,781
Elizabeth 14,190
Sarah 13,471
Ann 7,321
Jane 7,126
Eliza 5,840
Emma 5,792
Alice 5,572
Ellen 5,544
Annie 5,388
Emily 4,261
Hannah 4,195
Margaret 3,613
Martha 3,283
Harriet 2,598
Louisa 2,515
Maria 2,183
Charlotte 2,145
Ada 2,113
Florence 2,107
Edith 2,038
Fanny 2,035
Caroline 1,997
Catherine 1,747
Clara 1,739
Kate 1,683
Lucy 1,467
Agnes 1,391
Frances 1,332
Anne 1,312
Susan 1,311
Harriett 1,232
Isabella 1,225
Rose 1,060
Esther 988
Amelia 962
Matilda 888
Rebecca 872
Sophia 816
Julia 773
Elizth. 755
Susannah 732
Amy 726
Minnie 690
Gertrude 678
Jessie 672
Lydia 660
Eleanor 657
Laura 592
Ethel 574

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Smith surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 22,616
John 21,535
George 13,482
Thomas 12,575
James 11,672
Henry 7,806
Charles 7,631
Joseph 6,583
Robert 4,399
Edward 4,032
Alfred 3,920
Arthur 3,676
Samuel 3,529
Frederick 3,350
Albert 2,876
Walter 2,832
Richard 2,622
Harry 2,392
Herbert 1,625
Frank 1,517
David 1,444
Ernest 1,287
Edwin 1,204
Wm. 1,135
Benjamin 1,092
Francis 1,061
Sidney 973
Fred 968
Thos. 779
Isaac 751
Sydney 668
Peter 665
Daniel 664
Tom 567
Stephen 551
Geo. 548
Fredrick 425
Percy 425
Alexander 411
Fredk. 393
Andrew 381
Chas. 355
Matthew 317
Christopher 309
Abraham 304
Edmund 300
Ralph 288
Jesse 277
Michael 275
Mark 271

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Smith households.

FAQ

Smith surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smith surname in 1881?

In 1881, 422,249 people were recorded with the Smith surname. That placed it at #1 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smith surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 550,878 in 2016. That gives Smith a modern rank of #1.

What does the Smith surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a metalworker or blacksmith.

What does the Smith map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Smith bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.