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Smart Family History

Smart Surname Meaning

English: nickname for a brisk or active person from Middle English smert smart ‘quick prompt brisk vigorous’.

(Old English smeart ‘stinging’ ‘painful’ from smeortan ‘to sting’).

This name is widespread throughout England (especially Gloucestershire), Wales, and Scotland (mainly Angus).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Smart family from?

You can see how Smart families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Smart family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Smart families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,660 Smart families living in London. This was about 15% of all the recorded Smart's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Smart families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Smart surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Smart ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Smart. 7% of Smart men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Smart women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Smart were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Smart | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Smart family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 367,000 census records available for the last name Smart. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Smart census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Smart

Passenger Lists

There are 90,000 immigration records available for the last name Smart. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Smart immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 38,000 military records available for the last name Smart. For the veterans among your Smart ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Smart military records

You've only scratched the surface of Smart family history

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What is the average Smart lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Smart life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Smart in 1940 was 66, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Smart

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Smart ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Smart family tree

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