Schmid
A German occupational surname meaning “smith” or “blacksmith.”
The #3,165 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,083 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schmid is a German surname from the common word for a smith, especially a blacksmith or metalworker. It belongs to the same family as Schmidt, Schmitt, Schmitz, and related forms, all ultimately going back to the old Germanic word for a metal worker. In older sources, it is sometimes linked with the idea of an especially skilled or noble smith, because metalworking was an important and respected craft.
History
The name is one of the oldest and most widespread occupational surnames in German-speaking areas. Historical scholarship notes that forms such as Smido and related spellings are very early, and that the surname generated many regional diminutives and compound forms. In English-speaking countries, Schmid usually reflects immigrant German or Swiss-German ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older writers treated smith-names as especially prestigious because smithing was one of the most important crafts in early German society.
From the historical record
“Athersmith. F. Athe ; a p.n., and Schmid. Or F. Atteschmid, the obsolete form of Ritterschmid, an armourer, who belonged once to the lower orders of nobility Atherstone. A loc. n., Warw. Atherton. A loc. n., Lancs”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)