Smoke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancestral home of the Smoke family is in the German province of Bavaria. Smoke is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute. It is a name for a shaggy or unkempt person, stemming from the German word "rauch," meaning "rough, hairy." As with many early names such as this, the reference was often in jest. More likely, the origin is in reference to the smoke generated by smithies and thereby would be a trade name. The name was translated to English when the first settlers immigrated to North America, giving rise to such variations as "Smoak" or "Smoke."

Early Origins of the Smoke family

The surname Smoke was first found in Bavaria, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. Literally, the name refers to the smoke generated by smithies. For instance, a smith in Zurich was known as "Meister Roeuchli," literally "Mister Smoke," around 1468. The various branches of the Rauch and Raeuchlin families declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region.

Early History of the Smoke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smoke research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1522, 1740, 1743, 1745, 1808 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Smoke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smoke Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Smoke include Raucher, Rauche, Raeuchlin, Reuchlin, Raeuchle, Rauck, Raucker, Raucke, Rauk, Rauker, Rauke, Smoak, Smoke, Ruch and many more.

Early Notables of the Smoke family

Prominent among members of the name Smoke in this period include Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522), who was, together with his friend Erasmus, the driving force behind the German Renaissance. He began as a lawyer in the service of the Duke of Wuerttemberg, became a judge of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smoke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smoke migration to the United States +

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Smoke or a variant listed above:

Smoke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Catharine Smoke, aged 34, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 1

Smoke Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ann Smoke, aged 45, who landed in America, in 1910
Edgar W. Smoke, aged 36, who settled in America, in 1920
Frances Smoke, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1920
John Smoke, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States, in 1920
Martha G. Smoke, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1921
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Smoke migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Smoke Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Semen Smoke, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1897

Contemporary Notables of the name Smoke (post 1700) +

Mrs. Gladden Smoke, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1972 2

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html