Smock
An English surname likely from the word for a smock or work blouse, probably first used for someone who wore or made one.
The #7,485 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,350 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most likely from Middle English smock, meaning a loose outer garment or farm worker’s blouse. The word goes back to Old English smoc and is related to older Germanic forms for a simple garment. As a surname, it would usually have started as a nickname for someone associated with such clothing, or possibly for a maker or seller of smocks.
History
19th-century surname writers treated Smock as an English name and linked it with the common word for female or work clothing. It appears in American records and was noted by later onomastic writers as a surname in the United States. The form may also be confused at times with related names such as Smoker or Smoke.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older English phrases like “smock-treason” and “smock-loyalty” show that smock was once a very familiar everyday word, not just a historical costume term.
From the historical record
“SMOCKER 1 (Eng.) Smock- Maker or SM0(0)KER; -Dealer [M.E. smoher, etc.; f. M.E. smok, O.E. smocic = O.N. smokk-r]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)