Smith was my mother’s maiden name. As a child, for some reason I always felt sorry for her that she had to grow up with such a bland and common last name because I was oddly proud of how uncommon my last name was?
I think I pitched it once when we were naming our second boy. It just popped back into my head and for some reason it doesn’t feel so bland and common to me as a first name? Even though a lot of the last-names-as-first-names have become trendy/overdone and Smith is so common as a surname here.
Maybe it’s just because I like the way it flows with our last name, it I’m kind of digging it as a boy’s name? Feels strong and sturdy but it’s Simple, easy to say/spell/understand, recognizable, but a bit unexpected as a first name. Probably the most expected last name ever, though.
Thoughts?
Is the last-name-as-first-name thing obnoxious? Is it SO common as a last name that it would also feel bland as a first name?
I think it’s cool! I didn’t immediately love the sound, but thinking of it on an actual person - from boy to older man, it’s cute / handsome! And definitely not boring just because the name is/was common. It somehow seems like a new name in the first spot. I can see an amiable Smithy!
Yes, I’m on board with [name_m]Smith[/name_m] as a first name. From surname to first makes it go from samey to sparkly. On a baby - adorable; child and teen - pretty cool; on an adult - sophisticated but friendly. Winning!
Totally works! The last-name-as-first-name thing isn’t obnoxious, especially if the last name is in the family. Plus, occupational surnames are IN right now! I like the idea of repurposing a “plain” last name as an unexpected first name (I feel similarly about Jones).
hahahaha same, although my last name wasn’t that much more unexpected than [name_m]Smith[/name_m]! [name_f]My[/name_f] grandpa had a set of initials and my grandma always called him [name_m]Smitty[/name_m], I thought something like [name_m]Smith[/name_m] [name_m]Everett[/name_m] nn [name_m]Smitty[/name_m] would be such a fun nod to my grandpa. I do like it a lot and came across a few families about 10-15 years ago that used [name_m]Smith[/name_m] for their sons, which made me even more curious about it. I don’t know that I’d use it myself but it is definitely an intriguing option and I’d like to see it used more!
I think if anything, it’d throw people off since it is so common as a surname! And I don’t find surname choices obnoxious in general, I mostly am fond of them (although would use few of them now… my style has changed significantly from when I was considering him!). I am definitely pro Smith/Smitty!