Where does “Smithson” come from?
Smithson is an English surname derived from smith, which traces through Middle English smith and Old English smiþ to Proto-Germanic smiþaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European smēy-.
Ancestry of “Smithson”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Sơn | — |
| 2 | Middle English | sone | son; soon; Alternative form of sonne |
| 3 | Old English | sōna | immediately, at once |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sān(ō) | immediately |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sēna | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *sa | — |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | *əsa | — |
| 8 | Proto-Oceanic | *isa | — |
Words derived from “Smithson”