Objective - To examine the influence of social background and parental smoking on smoking in adulthood. Methods - This study is based on a sample of 2,173 men and 3,083 women who answered questions about their social background included in the Health and Social Protection Survey (ESPS) in 2006. Results - The risk of being a smoker is higher among individuals whose father was a smoker and, among women, among those whose mother was a smoker. Smoking is also linked to the social background of origin, with individuals whose father was a manual laborer being more likely to be smokers. The influence of the father’s occupation is primarily indirect, through the offspring’s level of education, which in turn influences smoking. Among women, smoking is more common among those who experienced periods of precarious living conditions during childhood, but also among those whose mother held a skilled job. Children of farmers have a reduced risk of becoming smokers. Discussion-Conclusion - The long-term influence of one’s background on smoking suggests the implementation of prevention policies targeting at-risk parents and the most disadvantaged communities—or their children—in addition to interventions aimed at improving equal opportunities in school. (R.A.)