WHAT FOREIGN JOHN SMITHS ARE CALLED.
Nearly Every Nation Has a Peculiar Manner of Spelling His Name—In Poland He is Ivan Schmittiweiski, and in Turkey Yoo Seef.
Of all the families of the earth probably there is none more numerous than that of Smith, and of all the Smiths in the world it seems that at least fifty per cent have been christened John. If the name were not so common we should probably admire it and see it through a glamour, as we do many other names that are not half as solid and substantial.
As it is, plain John Smith is not very high-sounding; it does not suggest aristocracy. It is not the name of any hero in die-away novels; yet it is good and honest. Transferred to other languages it seems to climb the ladder of respectability.
Thus in Latin it is Johannes Smithus; the Italian smoothes it off into Giovanni Smithi; the Spaniards render it Juan Smithus; the German adopts it as Hans Schmidt; the French flatten it out into Jean Smeets; the Russian turns it into Jonloff Smitowski; the Icelanders say he is Jahnne Smithson. Among the Tuscaroras he becomes Tam Qua Smittia; in Poland he is known as Ivan Schmittiweiski; among the Welsh mountains they call him Jihom Schmidt; in Mexico his name is written Jontli F’Smitri; in Greece he turns to I’on Sinikton; in Turkey he is almost disguised as Yoo Seef.