Smute Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The descendants of the clans of the ancient Scottish tribe known as the Picts were the first to use the name Smute. It was a name for a smithy. Although Smute 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, Smute 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 Smute family

The surname Smute 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 Smute family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smute 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 Smute History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smute Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Smute has been spelled Smith, Smyth, Smythe and others.

Early Notables of the Smute family

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

Migration of the Smute family to Ireland

Some of the Smute 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.

Migration of the Smute family

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Smute: Rich Smith, who settled in Virginia in 1638; Abbigall Smith, who was granted land in Virginia in 1673; James Smith and his wife Mary, who immigrated to Boston in 1718 with their children, Abel Smith, who came to Boston in 1763.