Smiths

Smiths
Recorded in the spellings of Smith, Smithe, Smythe, and the patronymics Smiths, and Smithson, this is an Olde English form of the original pre 7th century German 'smitan'. The meaning of the word 'smitan' and hence of the later surname, the most popular of all British surnames, was almost certainly not 'a worker in iron'. Our researches back to the very beginings of written history, indicate that 'smitan' was a form of nickname for a soldier or warrior, one who smote. The famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of the 9th Century uses the expression 'War-Smith' to describe a valiant warrior, whilst the medieval Guild List of specialist trades has Blacksmith, Whitesmith, Tinsmith, Goldsmith etc, amongst its members but no 'Smith'. The trade descriptions of the skilled workers of these ancient times were exact, there was no room for generalisations. It is our opinion that the original 'smiths' were civil guards, the early policemen, and appointed by the local lord of the region. This would account for the singular popularity of the name, much more so than metal workers. As perhaps further proof over five hundred coats of arms have been granted to Smith nameholders, a clear indication of the 'fighting' background. The great family Smith make up one in seventy-five of the British population, and the name is 'first' in all major cities of the English speaking world. Curiously the greatest concentration of Smith's are in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Why this should be so is far from clear, but it may be that the Highland Scots were better known as warriors than engineers. Not surprisingly the Smith name was one of the very first into the New American colonies. The nameholder was the famous John Smith (1580 - 1631), explorer and writer, who helped to found the state of Virginia. He was reputedly saved from execution by Pocahontas, the Indian chief's daughter, who died in England in 1622. The first recorded spelling of the family name, and probably the first surname recorded anywhere in the world, is that of Eceard Smid. This was dated 975 a.d., in the English Surname Register for County Durham, during the reign of King Edward of England, known as "The Martyr", 975 - 979 a.d.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Smiths — or Smith s may refer to: * The Smiths, an English rock band in the 1980s ** The Smiths (album), an album by The Smiths * The Smith s Snackfood Company * Smith s (potato chips) of Australia * Smith s Food and Drug, an American chain of grocery… …   Wikipedia

  • Smiths — bezeichnet: Ein britisches Schiffbauunternehmen, siehe Smiths Dock Company Eine britische Musikgruppe, siehe The Smiths Smiths ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Wilhelm Smiths (1847–1925), Ehrenamtmann und Mitglied des Deutschen Reichstags …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Smiths — Smiths, AL U.S. Census Designated Place in Alabama Population (2000): 21756 Housing Units (2000): 8437 Land area (2000): 71.165278 sq. miles (184.317215 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.717806 sq. miles (1.859110 sq. km) Total area (2000): 71.883084… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Smiths, AL — U.S. Census Designated Place in Alabama Population (2000): 21756 Housing Units (2000): 8437 Land area (2000): 71.165278 sq. miles (184.317215 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.717806 sq. miles (1.859110 sq. km) Total area (2000): 71.883084 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Smiths — The Smiths The Smiths Годы 1982 1987 Страна …   Википедия

  • Smiths — a British pop group formed in Manchester in 1982. The group made several successful albums in the 1980s, including The Smiths (1984) and Meat is Murder (1985). Their best known songs include This Charming Man (1983) and Shoplifters of the World… …   Universalium

  • Smiths Gore — is a rural property real estate adviser headquartered in Peterborough, employing over 430 people in 27 locations across the UK. Smiths Gore is a partnership consisting of 22 equity partners and 22 fixed share partners working primarily in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Smiths Grove (Kentucky) — Smiths Grove Ciudad de los Estados Unidos …   Wikipedia Español

  • Smiths Dock Company — Smiths Dock Company, abgekürzt meist einfach Smiths Dock, manchmal auch Smith s genannt, war ein britisches Schiffbauunternehmen, das besonders für den Entwurf der Flower Klasse Korvetten bekannt wurde. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte 1.1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Smiths Schlankhai — Smiths Schlankhei Zeichnung aus der Erstbeschreibung, Gesamtansicht und Bezahnung. Systematik Unterklasse: Plattenkiemer (E …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”