Smead
An Old English masculine name believed to mean "small meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Smead. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Smead today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Smead births was 1926 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Smead. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Smead. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1926
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1926 SSA rank
#4,750
Tracked since 1926
Popularity
Smead: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Smead by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Smead during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Smead
The given name Smead has its origins in Old English and dates back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "smidaz," which means "to strike" or "to forge." This name was likely given to those who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers during the Anglo-Saxon period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Smead can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, a collection of Anglo-Saxon charters and records from the 7th to the 11th century. In this text, a individual named Smeadwine is mentioned as a witness to a land grant in the year 680 AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Smead was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in various medieval records and documents. For instance, a monk named Smead of Canterbury is mentioned in the Chronica Monasterii Sancti Albani, a chronicle written in the 13th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Smead Stokes (1529-1592) was a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers in London. He is believed to have played a role in the establishment of the Levant Company, which facilitated trade between England and the Ottoman Empire.
Another individual with the name Smead was Sir Smead Cresswell (1679-1744), an English judge and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1735 to 1744. He is known for his contributions to the development of English common law and his rulings on various legal cases during his time on the bench.
In the 19th century, Smead Lowe (1809-1892) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1857 to 1859. He was also a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement and an advocate for the abolition of slavery.
While the name Smead has its roots in Old English and has been present throughout various historical periods, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other given names. However, it continues to be used as a first name, particularly in English-speaking countries.
People
Smead + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Smead as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Smead: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Smead?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Smead going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Smead a common name?
We classify Smead as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Smead most popular?
The single biggest year for Smead was 1926, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Smead is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Smead in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Smead a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Smead in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Smead still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Smead in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Smead can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Smead as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.