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Smith is a family name (surname)〔(SMITH - Name Meaning & Origin )〕 originating in England. It is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom,〔(British surnames )〕 Australia and the United States,〔(2000 Census: Frequently Occurring Surnames )〕 the second most common surname in Canada, and the fifth most common surname in Ireland. The surname Smith is particularly prevalent among those of English, Scottish and Irish descent,〔Citation: Brooke, 2006.〕 but is also a common surname among African Americans, which can be attributed to black slaves being forced to adopt the name during slavery and never changing the name upon the end of the era of slavery and after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.〔Franklin Carter Smith, Emily Anne Croom, ''A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors'' (2009), p. 109-110.〕 2,376,206 Americans shared the surname Smith during the 2000 census,〔United States Census Bureau. "(Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000 )". 27 Sept 2011. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.〕 and more than 500,000 people share it in the United Kingdom. At the turn of the 20th century, the surname was sufficiently prevalent in England to have prompted the statement: "Common to every village in England, north, south, east and west";〔Bardsley. ''English and Welsh Surnames''. 1901.〕 and sufficiently common on the (European) continent (in various forms) to be "...common in most countries of Europe."〔Citation: Anderson, 1863.〕 ==Etymology and history== The name refers to a smith, originally deriving from ''smið'' or smiþ, the Old English term meaning ''one who works in metal'' related to the word ''smitan'', the Old English form of ''smite'', which also meant ''strike'' (as in early 17th century Biblical English: the verb "to smite" = to hit). The Old English word ''smiþ'' comes from the Proto-Germanic word ''smiþaz''. ''Smithy'' comes from the Old English word ''smiðē'' from the Proto-Germanic ''smiðjon''. The use of ''Smith'' as an occupational surname dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when inherited surnames were still unknown: Ecceard Smith of County Durham, North East England, was recorded in 975.〔Citation: Simpson, 2007.〕 Although the name is derived from a common occupation, many later Smiths had no connection to that occupation, but adopted or were given the surname precisely because of its commonness. For example: * It is common for people in English-speaking countries to adopt the surname Smith in order to maintain a secret identity, when they wish to avoid being found. Smith is an extremely common name among English Gypsies; see also John Smith. * During the colonisation of North America, some Native Americans took the name for use in dealing with colonists. * During the period of slavery in the United States, many other slaves were known by the surname of their masters, or adopted those surnames upon their emancipation. * During the world wars, many German Americans anglicised the common and equivalent German surname ''Schmidt'' or ''Schmitz'' to ''Smith'' to avoid discrimination. A popular misconception holds that at the beginning of the 20th century, when many new immigrants were entering the U.S., civil servants at Ellis Island responsible for cataloging the entry of such persons sometimes arbitrarily assigned new surnames if the immigrants' original surname was particularly lengthy, or difficult for the processor to spell or pronounce. While such claims are likely vastly exaggerated,〔(USCIS Home Page )〕 many immigrants did choose to begin their American lives with more "American" names, particularly with Anglicised versions of their birth names; the German ''Schmidt'' was often Anglicized to ''Smith'' not only during the world wars, but also commonly in times of peace, and the equivalent Polish ''Kowalski'' was Anglicized to ''Smith'' as well. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Smith (surname)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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