Daily AncestorLocksmith
A locksmith made, fitted and repaired locks and cut keys for them.
A smith works metal, and a locksmith made it into locks and keys. Historically a locksmith built the entire lock by hand, spending hours cutting screws and filing parts, and the trade was learned through an apprenticeship.
As lock designs grew more complicated from the 1700s on, many locksmiths specialized in repairing or designing locks, and fitting locks and cutting replacement keys became a large part of the work.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Anton Weis, 42, Locksmith, Bavaria
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Locksmith." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/locksmith. Last checked 2026-10-10.