Smoot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Scotland
Ireland

In ancient Scotland, the Picts were the ancestors of the first to use the name Smoot. It was a name for a smithy. Although Smoot appears to be an occupational name for a blacksmith, it has been suggested that when surnames came into use in Scotland, several different families simply 'took on' the name whether they had been blacksmiths or not. Thus, Smoot is a classic example of a polygenetic surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Smoot family

The surname Smoot was first found in northern England and Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. In trying to establish a single source for this amazing, monumentally prolific surname Smith, it is asserted that they descended from Neil Cromb, a Chieftain who flourished in 1150, third son of Murdoch, Chief of the Clan Chattan, a confederation of twenty-six Clans of which Smith was a member Clan.

Faber and Ferro were Latin equivalents of the name Smith which were used in medieval documents. William faber de Karel witnessed legal proceedings c. 1250. William the Smith served as a juror during an inquest held at Traquair in 1274. In Aberdeen there lived an Alan Smyth in 1398. Finally, a Patrick Smyth of Scotland is noted as being confined in the Tower of London in 1401.

Early History of the Smoot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smoot research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1660, 1665, 1668, 1699, 1720, 1853 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Smoot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smoot Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Smoot has been spelled Smith, Smyth, Smythe and others.

Early Notables of the Smoot family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smoot Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smoot Ranking

In the United States, the name Smoot is the 3,138^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Smoot family to Ireland

Some of the Smoot family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smoot migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Smoot:

Smoot Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Smoot, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 2

Smoot Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Harold K Smoot, aged 31, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Decatur Bridge" from Rosario via Rio & St. Thomas 3
Florence Smoot, aged 3, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Guiana" from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 3
Jack W. Smoot, aged 19, arrived in New York City, New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Wabash" from Bordeaux, France 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Smoot (post 1700) +

William Albert Smoot, American politician, Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, 1922-30; Resigned 1930 4
Urcil W. Smoot, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Missouri State Senate 16th District, 1950 4
Thelma Smoot, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1952 4
Robert Smoot, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1944 4
Shelia Smoot, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 2004, 2008 4
Reed Owen Smoot (1862-1941), American Republican politician, U.S. Senator from Utah, 1903-33; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1908, 1912, 1916 (speaker), 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932 4
Ralph Smoot, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Webster County, 1972; Chair of Webster County Republican Party, 1973 4
John B. Smoot, American politician, Mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, 1885-87 4
Jean J. Smoot, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 2008 4
Isaac Albert Smoot (b. 1880), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Utah State House of Representatives, 1928-32; Postmaster at Salt Lake City, Utah, 1933-50 (acting, 1933-34) 4
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Smoot 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: Semper Fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html