Although Sam Smith is British, many people have been wondering if he is related to his American namesake, Will Smith.
Although Will and Sam share the same surname, they are not related. Smith is actually one of the most common names in the Western world. So, it is not unusual that Will and Sam share the name despite not being related.
Continue reading to find out if Sam Smith and Will Smith have anything else in common.
The Etymology of ‘Smith’
The name Smith originated in England and originally referred only to blacksmiths, but it became so common that people just started to adopt the name. Due to its commonness, people also started to adopt it in order to maintain a secret identity. As the name derived from Britain, it is prevalent among Caucasian people of English, Scottish and Irish descent. Which explains how Sam Smith, who was born in London, England, got his name.
The first recorded person with the name Smith, moved to America in 1840. In America now, however, there are 2,442,977 people that hold the name Smith, 70% of them are Caucasian. The next highest percentage of the population that has the name Smith is 23% African American people. This is likely due to slaves being given the surname during slavery and never changing them back. As Will Smith has two African American parents, it is likely that there is a history of slavery in his past that led to them being named Smith.
Famous Smiths
In the United States alone, there are actually 263 people that have the exact name ‘Will Smith’ and they are likely not related to Will either. In fact, there are even plenty of other famous people that share the last name Smith. Some are: Adrian Smith, the guitarist and pianist for the band Iron Maiden, Alex Smith a quarterback for the Washington Redskins and Anna Nicole Smith, former playboy bunny, actress and model. Despite them all sharing a surname with both Will and Sam Smith, they are not related.
While Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sam Smith was born in London, England in 1992 to his mother, Kate Cassidy, and father, Frederick Smith. Sam has two sisters, Lily and Mabel Smith. He still currently lives in London in a $15 million mansion. Despite having the same last name, Will and Sam Smith have both had completely different upbringings in completely different countries.
Music Careers
Sam Smith has been involved with music since he was young as he was in a musical theatre troupe and was studying singing and songwriting under a jazz pianist, Joanna Eden. As he was inspired by singers like Amy Winehouse and Adele, Sam Smith started making music that is a similar genre, but he describes as soul-pop. He released his first single when he was 16 and released his first EP Nirvana, 4 years later in 2013. The following year, he released his album In the Lonely Hour which garnered international success. He also has a third album awaiting release. Since the start of his career, Sam Smith has won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an American Music Award and a Golden Globe.
Will on the other hand, is also a musician, but quite a different genre to Sam. Will is a rapper and makes Hip Hop music. Although he may not be as well-known for his music as Sam is, Will actually has released 5 albums, 18 singles and 20 music videos. Will has also worked on music for films as he released the Men in Black theme song in 1997. In a similar vein, Sam Smith created the theme song for a James Bond movie in 2012, Spectre. The major difference between their careers is that Will is also an actor and he was in the Men in Black movie that he made the theme song for. Sam solely focuses on music, whether it be his own or for other movies.
Despite the fact that Will Smith and Sam Smith are both musicians with the same surname, they are not related.