Nesmith
A Scottish surname that is likely a variant of Nasmith, ultimately linked to a place by a headland or promontory.
The #4,955 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,504 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harrison treats Nesmith as a variant of Nasmith. The deeper root is probably the northern place-name element found in forms like Näs or ness, meaning a promontory, headland, or nose-shaped point of land; related forms were borrowed and shared across Old English and Old Norse. In that tradition, the surname would originally have identified someone from such a place, rather than a metalworker or smith in the occupational sense.
History
The name appears in Scottish records and was noted by Harrison as a spelling variant rather than a separate surname. Later bearers carried it into North America, where it survives in modest numbers, especially in the United States. Because the form overlaps visually with "smith," it can look occupational, but the historical explanation is usually locational.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Despite how it looks, Nesmith is usually not related to the craft surname Smith.
From the historical record
“Cp. Nisbet(t. ^ NESMITH, a var. of Nasmith, q.v. NESS 1 (Teut.) I Dweller at a Promontory NESSE/or Headland [O.E, nass = O.N. nes'] 2 Dweller on Low, Marshy Ground [v. under Nesbit and Holderness] N ET H E R BY (Scand.) Bel. to Netherby (Cumb.;”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)