Smithy Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The people known in ancient Scotland as the Picts were the forefathers of the Smithy family. It is a name for a smithy. Although Smithy 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, Smithy 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 Smithy family

The surname Smithy 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 Smithy family

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

Smithy Spelling Variations

Although Medieval Scotland lacked a basic set of spelling rules, which meant that scribes recorded names according to their sounds it was not uncommon for the names of a father and son to be recorded differently. As a result, there are many spelling variations of Scottish single names. Smithy has been written Smith, Smyth, Smythe and others.

Early Notables of the Smithy family

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

Migration of the Smithy family to Ireland

Some of the Smithy 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 Smithy family

Thousands of Scots left their home country to travel to Ireland or Australia, or to cross the Atlantic for the North American colonies. The difficult crossing was an enormous hurdle, but those who survived found freedom and opportunity in ample measure. Some Scots even fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence. This century, their ancestors have become aware of the illustrious history of the Scots in North America and at home through Clan societies and other organizations. Passenger and immigration lists show many early and influential immigrants bearing the name Smithy: 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.