Given name & surname
Smokey
“one with a raspy voice; a rebel”
Smokey is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “one with a raspy voice; a rebel.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “one with a raspy voice; a rebel.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Smokey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 131
- 131 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1977
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11 in 1977. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 332 as a first name in 2020; 112 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Smokey’s family of names
Smokey has a related form in Smokea. Smokey has a related form in Smokee. Smokey has a related form in Smoki.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Smokey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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