Type Surname (from occupation)
Usage Scottish
Meaning & History
appears to be an occupational name for a blacksmith, it has been suggested that when surnames came into use in Scotland, several different families simply 'took on' the name whether they had been blacksmiths or not.Infamously used as the surname in the pseudonym used by movie-directors who became ashamed of movies they made (and thus didn't want their real names seen in the film's credits ... the name is Alan Smithee).