OTTO SMITH

Originally a short form of any of the various Germanic compound personal names containing the element od, ot ‘prosperity, wealth’ (compare the corresponding Old English ēad in names such as Edward and Edwin). St Otto of Bamberg (d. 1139) was a missionary to the Pomeranians. Otto the Great (912–73) is generally regarded as the founder of the Holy Roman Empire, and the name has been borne by several members of German and Austrian royal houses. It was recorded occasionally among immigrants to England from the Low Countries in the 14th century, but failed to establish itself. Since the 19th century it has again been used occasionally in the English-speaking world, mostly among immigrants from Germanic countries.

English: occupational name for a worker in metal, from Middle English smith (Old English smið, probably a derivative of smītan ‘to strike, hammer’). Metalworking was one of the earliest occupations for which specialist skills were required, and its importance ensured that this term and its equivalents were perhaps the most widespread of all occupational surnames in Europe. Medieval smiths were important not only in making horseshoes, plowshares, and other domestic articles, but above all for their skill in forging swords, other weapons, and armor. This is the most frequent of all American surnames; it has also absorbed, by assimilation and translation, cognates and equivalents from many other languages (for forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988).