Smith is a surname originating in England. It is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the second most common surname in Canada, and the fifth most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. The surname Smith is particularly prevalent among those of English, Scottish and Irish descent, but is also a common surname among African Americans, which can be attributed to black slaves being given the surname during slavery and never changing the name upon the end of the era of slavery and after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. 2,376,206 Americans shared the surname Smith during the 2000 census, 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 ''; and sufficiently common on the (European) continent (in various forms) to be "common in most countries of Europe ''.
where does the last name smith derive from
in England in England in England