Smith

Smith is an English occupational surname for a worker in metal. A blacksmith is one familiar example, but the older occupation is broader than that single trade. The surname describes work rather than a place, which distinguishes it from many other surnames now used as first names.

Smith also has historical use as a given name, including nineteenth-century American records. It can preserve a family surname or refer to the craft connection directly. Smyth and Smythe are related surname spellings, and Smitty is a familiar nickname. A first name Smith may sound surname-like because of its everyday familiarity in that position, but it does not need an invented personality meaning to explain its appeal.