The Surname
"Smith" and its Scottish Significance
Although every Clan had smiths, there was once a Clan Smith in old
Scotland. After 1745, the clan system was outlawed. In 1978, Emery
Smith, Jr. of Southern Pines, North Carolina re-formed Clan Smith under the
name Clan Smith Society, Inc. (USA Branch). It is an organization of
people of Scottish or Scots-Irish Smith backgrounds and their spouses.
Smith is the most popular name in Scotland and Smiths were scattered
throughout the length and breadth of Scotland. It is therefore difficult
to assign a place of origin to this name. It is recorded that a family
of Smiths were settled in the parish of Strathblane at Craigend, first as
tenants, and later as lairds. The tradition of this family is that when
surnames came into use they took their name from their occupation of the
smiths and armourers of the Barony of Mugdock.
In the Gaelic-speaking highlands, the name is rendered smith, meaning not only
a man who made ploughshares and horseshoes, but also an armourer
who made weapons of all types --- is Gobha, which the origin for the names Gow,
MacGow, and MacGowan; however, even in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands the
name appears to have been sometimes Anglicized as Smith and there are many
Smiths in Lewis, where Gaelic is still generally spoken even now.
"The Clans on the Loch side (in the early 1600s were the MacFarlanes,
Gows, (MacGows, MacGowans), Buchanans, Calquahauns, and the (then outlawed)
MacGregors." As one can see in this listing, Gows or Smiths were
considered as clans in this description..."
(Information from the late Emery Smith, Jr., Black's Surnames of Scotland,
Clan Histories furnished by Lochacarron, Ltd., Scottish Clans and Tartans by
Neil Grant, and the Historical Research Center.
Our current honorary clan "chief" is Emery Smith III, son of Emery
Smith, Jr. and his wife, Alice. According to the research of Emery
Smith, Jr., former honorary Clan Smith "chief" and founder of Clan
Smith Society, his line is descended from David, the son of David, Chief of
the old Clan Smith in 1644, who lived in the area of Loch Lomond. David
had four sons and three daughters. The four sons had large
families. Their sons left Scotland on a Williams ship bound for
America. Some of this family came to Fayetteville, Elizabeth City, and
Newbern, North Carolina, where many of their descendants still live today.Clan
Smith was also associated with Clan Macpherson and an affiliate of the
confederation of clans known as Clan Chattan. For more information about
the genealogy of founder, Emery Smith, Jr. go to the articles listed
below that he wrote about the Ancient History of the Clans and also the
Genealogy of Emery Smith, Jr.
Clan Smith Society, Inc. was incorporated in North Carolina in 1978, by Emery
Smith, Jr.
