Smith

An Irish surname of Antrim, Dublin, and Kerry. In the 2010 US census it was carried by 2,442,977 people, the 1st most common surname in the country.

Smith is the anglicised form of six distinct Irish names. Some you can hear in the English name; others look and sound nothing like it, and were simply swapped for it.

Gobha

Mac An Ghobhann. This family stood in Co. Tipperary.

Mac An Ghobha

Mac Gabhann

Ó Gobhann. This family stood in Co. Cavan, Co. Louth, Co. Meath, Co. Monaghan, and Co. Westmeath.

Ó Gobha, descendant of the smith

Where the name comes from

Smith is the commonest disguise in the country. Mac an Ghobhann is son of the smith, from gobha, and it is a very common Irish surname. In the south it is now generally translated Smith, but MacGowan and Magowan are common in the north.

Clann an Ghobhann of Clare and Tipperary were hereditary historians to the O'Loghlins of Burren and to the O'Kennedys of Ormond respectively, which is a long way from a forge.

Ó Gobhann, descendant of the smith, belonged to an old Cavan family who in the latter part of the 16th century were one of the most numerous in O'Reilly's country, and were also found in Monaghan, Down, Louth, Meath and Westmeath. The name is still very common in all those counties, but nearly always disguised as Smith or Smyth. Gobha on its own is a trade designation that took the place of the real surname.

The Giant's Causeway at twilight with wet hexagonal basalt columns stretching to the sea and long exposure blurred waves
The Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim

The Smith counties, photographed

Antrim

The Antrim coast road runs about 25 miles between the cliffs and the sea, with nine glens coming down to it. The rock is basalt, the same flow that formed the Giant's Causeway. Scotland is 12 miles off at the narrowest point and visible on a clear day.

The iconic Dark Hedges beech tree tunnel near Armoy in County Antrim with intertwined branches forming a brooding canopyThe Dark Hedges, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Long exposure of Pan's Rock with its footbridge at dawn on the Antrim Causeway Coast, silky water and blurred clouds, Rathlin Island on the horizonPan's Rock, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Sunrise over Colliery Bay with Fair Head cliffs and mountains, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxColliery Bay & Fair Head, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim Dunluce Castle on coastal cliffs with long exposure sea, Co. Antrim, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxDunluce Castle, Co. Antrim Co. Antrim

Dublin

Dublin is a county as well as a city. The bay has Howth at the north end and Killiney Hill at the south, the Muglins are a pair of rocks off Dalkey, and the Dublin Mountains start about half an hour from the city centre.

Moonlight reflecting on the sea near the Muglins lighthouse off Dalkey Island, Dublin, with the Kish light on the horizonThe Muglins by Moonlight II Co. Dublin Long exposure panoramic view of the White Rock swimming platform at Killiney Bay, Dublin, floating in misty high-tide watersThe White Rock, Killiney Bay, Co. Dublin Co. Dublin Heron fishing at dawn on the Dublin coast — fine art wildlife photograph by Peter CoxHeron, Co. Dublin Co. Dublin

Kerry

Carrauntoohil in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks is the highest mountain in Ireland at 1,038 metres. The Dingle and Iveragh peninsulas run west from it, with the Skelligs eight miles off the Iveragh coast. I ran a gallery in Killarney for years.

Moody long exposure of Coumeenoole Beach with Blasket Islands, Dingle, Kerry, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxEvening, Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry Co. Kerry Long exposure evening light on moss-covered rocks at Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry, fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxEvening II, Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle, Kerry Co. Kerry An Searrach sea stack at night near Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland, long exposure fine art photograph by Peter CoxAn Searrach, Dingle, Co. Kerry Co. Kerry Ballaghbeama Gap mountain pass in black and white, Co. Kerry, Ireland — fine art landscape photograph by Peter CoxBallaghbeama Gap, Co. Kerry Co. Kerry

All Antrim prints · All Dublin prints · All Kerry prints

Notable bearers

Adam Smith (1723-1790), writer, university teacher, and philosopher.

Will Smith (born 1968), actor, writer, and singer.

Joseph Smith (1805-1844), politician, theologian, and prophet.

Patti Smith (born 1946), writer, singer, and musician.

Anna Nicole Smith (1967-2007), actor, musician, and film director.

This name is borne widely in Britain as well as Ireland. What follows is where it was found in Ireland, not a claim that every family carrying it came from here.

About this page

The counties on this page are where the name was thickest on the ground in Ireland a century and a half ago, not a claim about any one family. Names moved around inside the country as much as they left it. The photographs are mine, made in the counties named.

More Irish surnames: Brown · Miller · Wilson · Anderson · Thomas · Taylor · Moore · Jackson · Martin · Lee · Thompson · White

How common the name was

In 1890, 753 births were registered under Smith in Ireland, most of them in Antrim, Cavan, Dublin, and Kerry.

Ulster 412
Leinster 232
Munster 62
Connacht 47
Ireland 753

Cavan is the one I haven't worked in.