Hi Susan, My brother has the name Smerger as a middle name. A few years ago, my father sent me some pages scanned from Doctor Hanmers Chronicles of Ireland. I believe that the book is quite old, but it details some of the land grants given to the soldiers that fought in Ireland (I believe they were the early Roman Invasions) in the year 432 AD. One of the names listed as a recipient is Smerger Drought who kept Bondroys. I have also been told that very early (I believe before the book info) that the name was once a last name and carried forward as a middle name, which is still a common practice today. Hope this helps. Regards, Philippa