An English surname, Arrowsmith comes from the Old English terms ‘arwe’ and ‘smi’ which refer to a maker of iron arrowheads. Variations in spelling include Arrowsmith include Arwesmyth, Aruesmith, Arrowsmyth, Harrowsmith and Arrowsmithe. Across England the Arrowsmith individuals lived in nearly every region. The greater populations were in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Durham counties. Many also lived in the central and southern part of Wales. The Scottish counties of Lanarkshire and Midlothian had the greater Arrowsmith populations. Within the United States the individual with the Arrowsmith name live mostly in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Utah, Washington, California, Michigan and Ohio. Famous: John Arrowsmith (a 19th century map maker and publisher in England) and Sir Edwin P. Arrowsmith (English Commander of the Falkland Islands).