John Smith is often regarded as the most common personal name in the United Kingdom and in some other English-speaking countries, with John being the most common First Name in the U.K. and Smith being the most common Surname. It is the archetypal pseudonym or placeholder name in those countries, and is used similarly to John Doe in the United States. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... John is a common name for males. ... Smith can refer to a person who practices smithing, to a very common family name or to part of a place name or location. ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... A pseudonym is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to their legal name (whereas an allonym is the name of another actual person assumed by one person in authorship of a work of art; e. ... A placeholder name occupies a syntactic space between nouns and pronouns. ... In English-speaking common-law jurisdiction, the name John Doe is used for a defendant or victim in a legal example or for a person whose identity is unknown or is intended to be anonymous. ...

There are a number of famous people called John Smith:

Politicians

• John Smith, commissioner of the English Treasury, 1694-1695
• John Smith (1735–1824), U.S. Senator from Ohio
• John Cotton Smith (born 1765), former Governor of Connecticut
• John Valentine Smith (1824-1895), New Zealand politician
• John Smith, U.S. Representative from Virginia, 1801-1814
• John Smith, a U.S. Senator from New York, 1804-1813
• John Smith, Acting Governor of Gibraltar in 1809
• John Speed Smith, U.S. Representative from Kentucky, 1822?-1823
• John Smith, U.S. Representative from Vermont, 1839-1841
• John T. Smith, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1843-1844
• John Walter Smith (1845–1925), former Governor of Maryland
• John Smith, member of the Parliament of Ontario, 1867-1871
• John Quincy Smith, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 1873-1875
• John B. Smith, former Governor of New Hampshire, 1893-1895
• John Smith, mayor of Detroit, Michigan, 1924-1928
• John Smith (1938–1994), former leader of the British Labour Party
• John Smith (born 1951), a Welsh MP for the Labour Party
• John Smith, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
• John Armstrong Smith, U.S. Representative from Ohio

Lord High Treasurers and Commissioners of the Treasury of England and later the Kingdom of Great Britain, 1126-1714 c. ... John Smith (1735 - July 30, 1824) was one of the first two U.S. Senators from the state of Ohio. ... John Valentine Smith was a New Zealand politician. ... The state of New York ratified the Constitution on July 26, 1788, thereby becoming the eleventh state. ... List of Governors of Gibraltar (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) See also Chief Minister of Gibraltar Categories: Politics of Gibraltar ... These are tables of congressional delegations from Kentucky to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. ... These are tables of congressional delegations from Vermont to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. ... Twenty-eighth United States Congress Links and spelling have to be verified. ... John Walter Smith (b. ... The 1st Parliament of Ontario was in session from September 3, 1867 until February 25, 1871, just prior to the 1871 general election. ... Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803. ... See also New Hampshire Province of New Hampshire List of Colonial Governors of New Hampshire I am a doodlebug Categories: Lists of United States governors | Governors of New Hampshire ... This is a list of Mayors of the City of Detroit, Michigan. ... The Rt. ... John William Patrick Smith (born March 7, 1951) is Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan. ... The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois is the secondary chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the lieutenant governor has specific jurisdiction. ...

Cultural figures

• John Christopher Smith, 18th century composer
• John Stafford Smith (1750–1836), composer of the tune for "The Star-Spangled Banner"
• John Orrin Smith (19th century), woodcutter
• John Smith (born 1952), London-based avant-garde filmmaker
• John Smith (died 1995), American actor
• John Smith (born 1957), Director of Finance, Property and Business Affairs of the BBC, 2004-
• John Smith, a British comics writer

John Stafford Smith (1750 - 1836) is a composer best known for writing To Anacreon in Heaven. ... John Smith joined the BBC in 1989. ... John Smith is a British comics writer best known for his work on 2000 AD and Crisis. ...

Academic figures

• John Smith (18th century), mathematician at the University of Oxford, 1766-1797
• John Smith (1825–1910), founder of the Edinburgh school of dentistry
• John Cyril Smith (1922–2003), leading authority on English Criminal Law

John Smith was an English mathematician: He held the Savilian Chair of Geometry at the University of Oxford from 1766 to 1797. ... John Smith (1825-1910) was the founder of the Edinburgh school of dentistry. ... Sir John Cyril Smith (15 January 1922 - 14 February 2003) was a highly respected authority on English criminal law. ...

Sports people

• John Smith (born 1949), an American football player, former placekicker with the New England Patriots
• John Smith (born 1965), head coach of Oklahoma State University wrestling program

United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Conference AFC Division East Founded 1960 Home Field Gillette Stadium City Foxborough, Massachusetts Colors Red, white, blue, and silver Head Coach Bill Belichick All-Time Record (W-L-T) (At Start of 2005 Season) 344-349-9 The New England Patriots are a National Football League team based in Foxboro... John Smith is currently the head coach of wrestling at Oklahoma State University. ...

Miscellaneous figures

• John Smith or John Smyth (1570–1612), Baptist minister
• John Smith of Jamestown (1580–1631), an American colonial pioneer
• John Smith (1790–1824), English missionary in the West Indies
• John Smith (born c. 1814), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Smith, officer in the U.S. Navy, 1807-1811
• John Gordon Smith, one of the founders (1824) of Glenlivet, the first distillery in Scotland
• John Smith (died 1879), founder of the Tadcaster brewery in North Yorkshire
• John F. (Jack) Smith, Jr. (born 1939), former Chairman and CEO of General Motors

John Smith (1580-1631) was an English soldier and sailor, now chiefly remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English colony in North America, and his brief association with the Native American princess Pocahontas. ... John Smith (1790-1824) was a missionary whose experiences in the West Indies attracted the attention of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce. ... John Smith was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Also known as: Origin: Fragrance: Smoothness: Sweetness: Color: Complexity: Body and texture: Finish: Relative cost: Overall Rating: The Glenlivet is a Speyside Single malt Scotch Whisky produced by The Glenlivet Distillery in Ballindalloch, Scotland. ... John Smith was the founder of a famous brewery at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire. ... GM redirects here. ...

See also

• John Smyth (disambiguation)
• Edward John Smith (1850–1912), captain of the RMS Titanic
• Jonathan Bayard Smith (1742-1812), signer of the American Articles of Confederation for Pennsylvania
• John Maynard Smith (1920–2004), a geneticist, whose complete surname is Maynard Smith, not Smith.
• A song by the Punk-band Nofx is called "The Death of John Smith".