The surname Smith is an occupational name for a worker in metal, deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word "smitan" which means "to strike". The name was used to describe someone who worked with metal, such as a blacksmith. The use of Smith as an occupational surname dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when inherited surnames were still unknown. Due to the occupational nature of this surname, there are many diverse branches of the Smith family, and there is believed to be no common line of origin. Smith is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the fifth most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. It is also common among those of English, Scottish, and Irish heritage, but is also often used by African Americans as a result of the enslaved being given the surname of their slavers, and with variants of Smith common in almost every country in Europe.
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