Smolen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Poland
Scotland
England

Early Origins of the Smolen family

The surname Smolen was first found in Lennox, in central Scotland where early records show John Smolet was one of the sheriffs of King James V in the Lennox, 1513. "John Smollert was suspected of being a fellow conspirator of the earl of Bothwell, 1591. John Smolate was witness to a notarial instrument of sale of land of Temple of Ballakenrane, 1457. Tobias Smallet, bailie of Dumbarton, was murdered by the Macgregors in 1604. Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771), novelist, was born in Dumbartonshire. " 1

One source derives "the name from Old English srnælheafod, 'small head.' in connection with this etymology he cites an anonymous writer of 1760 who referred to Tobias Smollett, the novelist, as "Sawney Mac Smallhead." 2

In England, John Smalheued was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332 and much later William Smalhed was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 3

Early History of the Smolen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smolen research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1604, 1721, 1748, 1751 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Smolen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smolen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Smollett, Smollet, Smallet, Smollert and others.

Early Notables of the Smolen family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smolen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smolen Ranking

In the United States, the name Smolen is the 13,642^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Smolen family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Adam Smollet who arrived in Virginia in 1642.

Contemporary Notables of the name Smolen (post 1700) +

Joel Smolen, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 17th District, 2004 5
Michael "Mike" Smolen (1940-1992), American bridge player who developed the Smolen convention
Bohdan Smolen (b. 1947), Polish comedian, singer and actor

The Smolen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Adhuc viresco
Motto Translation: Still grow green

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html