NameCensus.

UK surname

Smyth

An occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or craftsman, derived from the Old English word "smið."

In the 1881 census there were 2,794 people recorded with the Smyth surname, ranking it #1,595 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,357, ranked #694, up from #1,595 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Milton Keynes and North Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smyth is 9,510 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 234.9%.

1881 census count

2,794

Ranked #1,595

Modern count

9,357

2016, ranked #694

Peak year

2010

9,510 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Smyth had 2,794 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,595 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,357 in 2016, ranked #694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,088 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Smyth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Smyth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smyth 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 1,825 #1,578
1861 historical 1,577 #1,811
1881 historical 2,794 #1,595
1891 historical 2,488 #1,905
1901 historical 3,088 #1,810
1911 historical 3,046 #1,715
1997 modern 8,528 #740
1998 modern 8,865 #742
1999 modern 8,963 #741
2000 modern 8,964 #734
2001 modern 8,746 #736
2002 modern 8,997 #734
2003 modern 8,756 #735
2004 modern 8,705 #743
2005 modern 8,644 #738
2006 modern 8,705 #733
2007 modern 8,800 #729
2008 modern 8,947 #718
2009 modern 9,225 #710
2010 modern 9,510 #707
2011 modern 9,330 #710
2012 modern 9,164 #708
2013 modern 9,429 #700
2014 modern 9,489 #697
2015 modern 9,425 #692
2016 modern 9,357 #694

Geography

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Where Smyths are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Milton Keynes, North Devon, Salford and Central Bedfordshire. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 060 Liverpool
2 Milton Keynes 010 Milton Keynes
3 North Devon 002 North Devon
4 Salford 017 Salford
5 Central Bedfordshire 011 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smyth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smyth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Smyth, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Smyth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Smyth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Smyth 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

Smyth is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Smyth 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 Smyth 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 Smyth, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Smyth

The surname "SMYTH" is of English origin and it is an occupational surname that refers to a skilled worker in metal, particularly a blacksmith or a whitesmith (a tinsmith or worker in light metals). The name is derived from the Old English word "smið" which means "to strike" or "to forge".

This surname can be traced back to the 11th century in various parts of England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In the medieval period, the surname Smyth was particularly prevalent in regions of England known for metalworking and mining activities, such as Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire. The surname also had several spelling variations, including Smythe, Smithe, and Smyther, which were common in various regions of the country.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Smyth was Sir Michael de Smythton, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Yorkshire. Another notable figure was Richard Smyth, a 14th-century English philosopher and logician who is considered one of the founders of the English Logicians School.

In the 15th century, John Smyth (c. 1460-1514) was a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as the Sheriff of London in 1512. His son, Sir Thomas Smyth (c. 1485-1547), was a renowned Tudor diplomat and scholar who served as the Secretary of State to King Henry VIII.

During the 16th century, Sir Thomas Smythe (1558-1625) was an English merchant, diplomat, and colonizer who played a significant role in the establishment of the English colonies in North America. He was the first governor of the East India Company and is considered one of the founders of the British Empire.

Another notable figure with the surname Smyth was Captain John Smyth (c. 1570-1612), an English separatist who founded the Baptist movement in England and is regarded as one of the founders of the Baptist denomination in the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Smyth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smyth 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. Middlesex leads with 440 Smyths recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.61x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 440 1.61x
Lancashire 336 1.04x
Devon 225 3.96x
Lanarkshire 224 2.54x
Surrey 198 1.49x
Yorkshire 114 0.42x
Suffolk 96 2.89x
Kent 93 1.00x
Durham 73 0.90x
Warwickshire 60 0.87x
Hampshire 58 1.04x
Essex 53 0.98x
Midlothian 53 1.45x
Glamorgan 51 1.07x
Renfrewshire 51 2.41x
Angus 40 1.58x
Somerset 37 0.84x
Hertfordshire 36 1.91x
Staffordshire 36 0.39x
Sussex 33 0.72x
Cheshire 32 0.53x
Cumberland 29 1.23x
Norfolk 29 0.69x
Northumberland 28 0.69x
Cornwall 26 0.84x
Lincolnshire 26 0.60x
Cambridgeshire 22 1.27x
Pembrokeshire 20 2.31x
West Lothian 18 4.38x
Gloucestershire 17 0.32x
Dorset 16 0.89x
Aberdeenshire 15 0.59x
Bedfordshire 15 1.06x
Ayrshire 13 0.64x
Berkshire 13 0.63x
Dunbartonshire 11 1.50x
Leicestershire 11 0.36x
Stirlingshire 11 1.09x
Selkirkshire 10 4.05x
Shropshire 10 0.42x
Derbyshire 9 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 9 0.24x
Fife 8 0.50x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 2.02x
Perthshire 8 0.65x
Royal Navy 8 2.46x
Argyllshire 7 0.92x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.42x
Oxfordshire 6 0.36x
Worcestershire 6 0.17x
Denbighshire 5 0.48x
Peeblesshire 5 3.89x
Roxburghshire 5 1.01x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.27x
Herefordshire 3 0.27x
Northamptonshire 3 0.12x
Westmorland 3 0.50x
Clackmannanshire 2 0.89x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.37x
Isle of Man 2 0.39x
Monmouthshire 2 0.10x
Morayshire 2 0.47x
Wiltshire 2 0.08x
Buteshire 1 0.60x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.17x
Flintshire 1 0.14x
Inverness-shire 1 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. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 82 Smyths recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.10x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 82 3.10x
Glasgow 72 4.59x
Govan 64 2.93x
St Pancras London 63 2.87x
Lambeth 58 2.44x
Liverpool 52 2.64x
Toxteth Park 46 4.19x
Barony 41 1.84x
Shoreditch London 35 2.96x
Barrow In Furness 34 7.72x
Hackney London 34 2.22x
Everton 33 3.20x
Hampstead London 31 7.29x
Camberwell 30 1.72x
Portsea 26 2.37x
Paracombe 23 633.61x
Lewisham 22 4.43x
West Derby 22 2.32x
St Marylebone London 21 1.44x
Birmingham 20 0.87x
Manchester 20 1.37x
Barnstaple 19 21.31x
Leeds 19 1.24x
Chelsea London 18 2.19x
Croydon 18 2.44x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 18 1.22x
Kensington London 18 1.19x
Dundee 17 1.80x
Wolverhampton 17 2.40x
Woolwich 17 4.94x
Bathgate 15 16.81x
East Greenock 15 7.51x
St George Hanover 15 4.21x
Burwell 14 67.60x
Glamis 14 91.74x
Old Monkland 14 4.00x
Salford 14 1.47x
Brighton 13 1.40x
Exmoor 13 445.21x
Ipswich St Clement 13 15.38x
Lee 13 9.61x
Paddington London 13 1.30x
Rotherhithe 13 3.85x
Swansea Town 13 3.34x
East Worlington 12 612.24x
Edinburgh Canongate 12 12.89x
Exeter Heavitree 12 28.33x
Kentisbury 12 368.10x
South Leith 12 2.92x
Aldeburgh 11 55.89x
Bishopwearmouth 11 1.58x
Clothall 11 281.33x
Coventry St Michael 11 4.97x
Hartlepool 11 9.53x
Hunslet 11 2.61x
Tormoham 11 4.58x
West Greenock 11 2.90x
Cardiff St Mary 10 3.82x
Falmouth 10 9.14x
Melcombe Regis 10 13.47x
New Monkland 10 3.83x
Streatham 10 4.94x
Tenby St Mary In 10 22.65x
Bradford 9 1.37x
Dartmouth St Saviour 9 55.45x
Galashiels 9 9.86x
Hammersmith London 9 1.34x
Holy Trinity 9 1.38x
Ipswich St Margaret 9 7.98x
Little Bolton 9 2.16x
Lower Booths 9 15.51x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 3.71x
Nottingham St Mary 9 0.95x
Sidmouth 9 27.68x
Stranton 9 3.29x
Theydon Mount 9 652.17x
Trentishoe 9 1153.85x
West Ham 9 0.76x
Westminster St James 9 3.21x
Birkenhead 8 1.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 152
Elizabeth 66
Ellen 47
Sarah 46
Eliza 41
Margaret 35
Annie 33
Jane 27
Ann 24
Emily 24
Catherine 23
Emma 23
Louisa 22
Alice 17
Caroline 16
Edith 16
Susan 16
Florence 15
Martha 15
Anne 14
Clara 14
Hannah 14
Agnes 13
Maria 13
Ada 12
Lucy 12
Anna 11
Harriet 11
Sophia 11
Eleanor 10
Fanny 10
Charlotte 9
Gertrude 8
Isabella 8
Ethel 7
Frances 7
Minnie 7
Amelia 6
Beatrice 6
Jessie 6
Kate 6
Maud 6
Amy 5
Esther 5
Grace 5
Laura 5
Mabel 5
Rose 5
Bessie 4
Rachel 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 121
William 118
James 93
Thomas 80
George 63
Henry 51
Charles 42
Robert 36
Edward 29
Frederick 26
Arthur 25
Alfred 24
Joseph 20
Walter 16
Harry 15
Richard 14
Francis 13
Hugh 13
Samuel 13
Edwin 12
Patrick 11
Michael 10
Albert 9
Alexander 7
David 7
Herbert 7
Daniel 6
Frank 6
Peter 6
Ralph 6
Wm. 6
Andrew 5
Fredk. 5
Isaac 5
Percy 5
Sydney 5
Christopher 4
Thos. 4
Benjamin 3
Chas. 3
Fredrick 3
Geo. 3
Leopold 3
Reginald 3
Sidney 3
Bernard 2
Matthew 2
Owen 2
Philip 2
Phillip 2

FAQ

Smyth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smyth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,794 people were recorded with the Smyth surname. That placed it at #1,595 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smyth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,357 in 2016. That gives Smyth a modern rank of #694.

What does the Smyth surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or craftsman, derived from the Old English word "smið."

What does the Smyth map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Smyth 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.