Smitherman
An English occupational surname meaning “the smith’s man” or assistant to a smith.
The #9,245 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,687 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Smitherman is built from smith, the Old English word for a metalworker, plus man. In surname use, it likely meant a man employed in or connected with a smithy, essentially a smith’s helper or assistant. The form is parallel to other occupational surnames ending in -man, such as Priestman or Vickerman.
History
Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname writers treated Smitherman as an English occupational name, and the form is also found in records as Smithman or Smitheman. In the United States it appears to have been carried over by English-descended families and later became established there as an uncommon surname. The name is sometimes confused in older indexes with Smitherson or related Smith- forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it literally means “smith’s man,” Smitherman belongs to a whole family of surnames built from trades plus -man, a pattern once especially common in English naming.
From the historical record
“Ger. smeidar, ' artifex '] SMITHERMAN (Eng.) Smither's Man [v. Smithep, and -|- E. man] SMITHERS (Eng.) i Smither's (Son): v. Smither. 2 conf. with Smithurst, q.v. SMITHETT, a corrupt form of iSmaithwaite, q-v. 2 Smipthwalte, Smurthwaite, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)