Peter Smith

(male) English form of the name of the best-known of all Christ's apostles, traditionally regarded as the founder of the Christian Church. The name derives, via Latin, from Greek petros ‘stone, rock’. This is used as a translation of the Aramaic byname Cephas, given to the apostle Simon son of Jona, to distinguish him from another of the same name (Simon Zelotes). ‘When Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone’ (John 1:42). According to Matthew 16:17–18, Christ says more explicitly, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona … thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church’. The name has been in continuous use since the Middle Ages.

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).