Is Smith really a very common family name?

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oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:35pm

A SERIOUS QUESTION:
I was from a non-english speaking country and have been living in Australia for a good while... Also I was living in UK for a year. Luckily these are both nice places and I have got many friends here and there... but I haven't even met ONE Smith... I learnt that Smith is a really common English last name when I was in school, but... is that just me or?
Apologies if this has offended anyone-I don't mean to, but really Serous Question.

Last edited by oh interesting; 4 Jul @ 10:53pm

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Showing 1-15 of 41 comments

St✩rlight 4 Jul @ 10:40pm

It's not super common, it's just generic.

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:41pm

Originally posted by St✩rlight:
It's not super common, it's just generic.

I see... Thank you very much!

salamander 4 Jul @ 10:48pm

not in my country its not

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:54pm

Originally posted by salamander:
not in my country its not

Seems my textbook was misleading.... Thank you for your answer!

Gracey Face 4 Jul @ 10:54pm

Originally posted by oh interesting:
A SERIOUS QUESTION:
I was from a non-english speaking country and have been living in Australia for a good while... Also I was living in UK for a year. Luckily these are both nice places and I have got many friends here and there... but I haven't even met ONE Smith... I learnt that Smith is a really common English last name when I was in school, but... is that just me or?
Serous question.

It is the most common surname, but it's not as if it is everywhere. For example in the US Smith is the most common surname, at 2.5 million people, but that's out of a population of (at the time) 310 million. So you have a .8% chance of anyone you encounter being called Smith, assuming the surnames are evenly distributed (which they won't be naturally).

swillfly 4 Jul @ 10:55pm

Wang is the most common surname in the world.

One might say we live in Wang's World.

skOsH♥ 4 Jul @ 10:55pm

I don't think I've ever met a Smith myself

I am guessing its a last name originally given to blacksmiths/forgers?

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:57pm

Originally posted by Gracey Face:
Originally posted by oh interesting:
A SERIOUS QUESTION:
I was from a non-english speaking country and have been living in Australia for a good while... Also I was living in UK for a year. Luckily these are both nice places and I have got many friends here and there... but I haven't even met ONE Smith... I learnt that Smith is a really common English last name when I was in school, but... is that just me or?
Serous question.

It is the most common surname, but it's not as if it is everywhere. For example in the US Smith is the most common surname, at 2.5 million people, but that's out of a population of (at the time) 310 million. So you have a .8% chance of anyone you encounter being called Smith, assuming the surnames are evenly distributed (which they won't be naturally).

I see your point... Thank you that's very helpful.

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:58pm

Originally posted by swillfly:
Wang is the most common surname in the world.

One might say we live in Wang's World.

Yeah I think I know a several Wong and Wang as well from Mandarin or Cantonese language background.

Ulfrinn 4 Jul @ 10:58pm

Many last names are based on profession when people started maintaining family names. Others are often based on location, where they're from. Smith is one of those profession derived last names, and why there are so many unrelated families with that same last name.

#10

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 10:59pm

Originally posted by skOsH♥:
I don't think I've ever met a Smith myself

I am guessing its a last name originally given to blacksmiths/forgers?

Yes, I think so; at least that was what I was told.

#11

swillfly 4 Jul @ 11:00pm

Didja know that Garbage is an actual surname - albeit a rare one?

imagine being hailed as "Mister Garbage" . . .

#12

oh interesting 4 Jul @ 11:02pm

Originally posted by swillfly:
Didja know that Garbage is an actual surname - albeit a rare one?

imagine being hailed as "Mister Garbage" . . .

I hope that surname was not originated from English.... Otherwise I would worry about the mental health status of its first generation ancestors.....

#13

Gracey Face 4 Jul @ 11:04pm

Originally posted by swillfly:
Didja know that Garbage is an actual surname - albeit a rare one?

imagine being hailed as "Mister Garbage" . . .

Did you know that the guy in charge of the visiting diplomat's mansion in DC was a man named "Randy Bumgardner" for a while.

If you had that unfortunate surname, why would you name your son Randy? His middle name even started with a D, though I don't know what it was.

#14