One of Many ~ The Smith Clan: Smith is the most common family name in the United States. It's ubiquitous on cemetery landscapes. Historically, the Smiths were metal workers, a skill you would need in every village and city. From the epitaph, "The Love of My Life," he was obviously smitten with his wife. Smitten from smit, which mean strike: same Germanic root as Smith. But, just as it has a history, the Smith name also has a geography. Examine the map of Smith families as recorded in the 1920 Census. Because the name is so common, the pattern mirrors the pattern of population distribution. Memorial Park Cemetery.