Smets is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

occupational surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

. It is a common name in the Belgian provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant (11,000 people in 1998

Despite its similarity to the Dutch surnames Smet,

Smits Smits is a Dutch surname that is considered a variant of the more common Smit surname.Citation: Meertens Institute: Smit. The name is an old plural of Smid (blacksmith), though the plural in modern Dutch would be Smeden. Frequency of occurrence ...

, and Smeets, each equivalent to

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, Smets (sometimes?) originated from "des Mets", short for "des Metselaars" ("the mason's son"

People named Smets include: *

Alexander Smets Alexander Augustus Smets (October 12, 1795 – May 9, 1862) was a French-born co-founder of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, Georgia, United States. A banker and philanthropist, he was also a large landowner in Georgia (U.S. state), Ge ...

(1795–1862), French philanthropist *

Dieudonné Smets Dieudonné Smets (17 August 1901 – 29 November 1981) was a Belgian racing cyclist. He won the 1926 edition of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic ...

(1901–1981), Belgian road cyclist * Henri Smets (1895–1994), Belgian cross country athlete *

Joël Smets Joël Smets (born 6 April 1969) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Racing Sports Director for KTM motorcycles. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time m ...

(born 1969), Belgian motocross rider *

Rob Smets Robert Edward "Rob" Smets (born September 11, 1959, Palo Alto, California), known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid, is an American former professional rodeo bullfighter. Biography Smets was born in Palo Alto, California to Bill and Ebe Smets. ...

(born 1959), American rodeo bullfighter and commentator *

Sonja Smets Sonja Smets is a Belgian and Dutch logician and epistemology, epistemologist known for her work in belief revision and quantum logic. She is Professor of Logic and Epistemology at the University of Amsterdam, where she was the Director of the Ins ...

, Belgian and Dutch logician * (1796–1848), German writer, journalist and politician SMETS, short for ''Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications'', is a British standard for home smart meters.

See also