| ![Show Contents]() Smartt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The name Smartt has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who was referred to as smeart which meant that the original bearer was quick and active. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Nickname surnames were frequently the result of a spontaneous reaction to a particular occasion or event. Early Origins of the Smartt familyThe surname Smartt was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Smartt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smartt research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1422, 1488, 1569, 1612, 1624 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Smartt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Smartt Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Smartt have been found, including Smart, Smert, Smarte, Smartt and others. Early Notables of the Smartt familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smartt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Smartt RankingIn the United States, the name Smartt is the 12,319th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Smartt familyFamilies began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Smartt, or a variant listed above: John Smart who settled in Massachusetts in 1635; another John settled in Jamaica in 1670; another John settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants and brother Samuel also settling with his wife, child, and servants.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Smartt (post 1700) | + |
- Joseph G. Smartt (1917-1941), American United States Naval Reservist who was killed in action on 7 December 1941 during the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, posthumously commended by the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, for his efforts to repel the attack on the air station, eponym of the USS Smartt (DE-257), an Evarts-class destroyer escort during World War II
- Mark Smartt, American baseball head coach of West Alabama in 1994 and assistant coach at Troy State for thirteen years
- Hacket Smartt, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Colorado State House of Representatives, 1950 2
- Dorothea Smartt (b. 1963), English-born poet of Barbadian descent
- Joseph "Joe" Smartt (1931-2013), British geneticist from West Ham, London who made major contributions to the knowledge of crop evolution, especially of grain legumes
- Sir William Thomas Smartt KCMG PC (1858-1929), Irish-born, South African politician, founder and leader of the Unionist Party, founder of the Smartt Syndicate, one of the largest dams in the then Cape Colony
- Tremayne Dequette Smartt (b. 1985), Guyanese cricketer who plays for Guyana; she set the record for the highest third wicket partnership in a Twenty20 International, with 124 runs in 2010
- Mike Smartt OBE, British journalist and broadcaster, and was the founder and editor-in-chief of BBC News Online which has won all four interactive news BAFTA awards
- Stephen J. Smartt FRS (b. 1968), Irish astrophysicist who specializes in stellar evolution, supernovae and time domain sky surveys
- Madison Smartt Bell (b. 1957), American novelist, known for his trilogy of novels about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, published 1995–2004
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: Virtus pre nummis
Motto Translation: Virtue is preferable to money.
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