McSmith last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name McSmith is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McSmith.

Meaning of McSmith

A Scottish surname meaning "son of the smith".

McSmith, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McSmith surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McSmith in America

McSmith is the 111988th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McSmith surname appeared 157 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McSmith.

We can also compare 2010 data for McSmith to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank1119881099151.87%
Count1571495.23%
Proportion per 100k0.050.06-18.18%

The history of the last name McSmith

The surname MCSMITH has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. It is a combination of the Scottish prefix "Mc" and the occupational surname "Smith," which refers to someone who worked as a blacksmith or metalworker.

The earliest recorded instances of the name MCSMITH can be traced back to the late 13th century in various Scottish legal and religious records. One notable example is the mention of a "Malcolm McSmyth" in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1296.

In the 14th century, the name MCSMITH appears in several historical documents, including the Ragman Rolls, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the Bute Muniments, a collection of legal documents from the Isle of Bute, Scotland.

As the name spread throughout Scotland, various spellings emerged, such as McSmythe, McSmith, and McSmeith. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciations.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname MCSMITH was John McSmith (c. 1540-1599), a Scottish clergyman and writer. He served as the minister of the parish of Campsie and wrote several religious works, including a translation of the Book of Psalms into Scottish verse.

In the 17th century, the name MCSMITH gained prominence through the exploits of Sir James McSmith (1620-1688), a Scottish soldier and military commander. He fought in the English Civil War and later served as the Governor of Tangier in North Africa.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname MCSMITH was Alexander McSmith (1720-1792), a Scottish philosopher and educator. He served as the principal of the University of Edinburgh and made significant contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment.

The name MCSMITH also has ties to various place names in Scotland, such as the village of Smithton in Inverness-shire, which was once home to a significant population of blacksmiths and metalworkers.

Throughout history, the surname MCSMITH has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, soldiers, philosophers, and artisans. While its origins can be traced back to the occupational role of a smith, the name has evolved and spread across Scotland and beyond, becoming a part of the rich tapestry of Scottish cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McSmith

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McSmith.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McSmith was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only65.61%103
Non-Hispanic Black Only17.83%28
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races8.28%13
Hispanic Origin3.82%6

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McSmith has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White65.61%72.48%-9.95%
Black17.83%16.11%10.14%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races8.28%4.70%55.16%
Hispanic3.82%4.70%-20.66%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McSmith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McSmith, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

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