If the last name smith is so common....?

Question

how come I dont know anyone with that last name?

I never have

Answer 1

Your group of acquaintances doesn't contain anyone with the name, that's why.

If you live where it is rarer, there will be less likelihood of you knowing someone with the name.

My last name is rare in many parts of the world, but is common in Scandinavia.

Answer 2

It's difficult to answer without knowing where you are from or where you live now.  

I've known dozens of people called Smiths and Jones but I'm from a big English City.

I never met anyone in the world with the same surname as me (apart from family of course) but I know they are there.

Chance / Fluke / Bad Memory who knows but I think you'd have to admit based on the answers above that it not due to some conspiracy theory, it really is one of the most common names in the world.

Answer 3

Maybe you have and not realized it. Here are some spelling variations from www.familysearch.org (maybe someone you know/knew spelled it this way): SCHMIDT;  SCHMITT ; SMYTH; SMITHE ;  SMIT; SMYTHE; SMIDS; SMEDT; SMITT ;SCHMIED ; & SMITS .

www.surnamedb.com--Surname: Smith

This is the most popular surname in the English speaking world by a considerable margin. Of pre 7th century Anglo-Saxon origins, it derives from the word 'smitan' meaning 'to smite' and as such is believed to have described not a worker in iron, but a soldier, one who smote (or to inflict a heavy blow on, with or as if with the hand, a tool, or a weapon). That he also probably wore armour, which he would have been required to repair, may have lead to the secondary meaning. The famous Anglo-Saxon Chronicles sometimes known as the first newspaper, in the 9th century a.d. uses the expression 'War-Smith' to describe a valiant warrior, whilst the later medieval Guild List of specialist trades has blacksmith, whitesmith, tinsmith, goldsmith and silversmith amongst its many members, but no trade of 'smith'. These descriptions of the skilled workers of the Middle Ages were exact, and it is our opinion after studying many early records that the original smiths were probably the guards of the local lord of the manor. This would account for the singular popularity of the name, as the early social records indicate that the trades of tailor and baker were much more prevalent than that of Smith in any form. What is certain is that over five hundred coats of arms have been granted to Smith nameholders, surely an indication of the soldier background, rather than a humble ironworker. The great family Smith is 'first' in all major cities of the English speaking world, yet curiously the greatest concentration of Smith's are in Aberdeenshire, Scotland! Why this should be so is far from clear. Not surprisingly the Smith name was one of the very first into the New American colonies, being held by the famous John Smith (1580 - 1631), explorer and writer, who helped to found the state of Virginia. He was reputedly saved from execution by Pocahontas, the Indian chief's daughter, who died in England in 1622. The first recorded spelling of the family name, and probably the first surname recorded anywhere in the world, is that of Eceard Smid. This was dated 975 a.d., in the English Surname Register for County Durham, during the reign of King Edward of England, known as "The Martyr", 975 - 979 a.d.

www.howmanyofme.com--Smith

There are 3,057,142 people in the U.S. with the last name Smith  (so, can you imagine how many in the world??).