I searched the BNC, and here are the results.

Ignoring cases like "smile to verb", "smile to oneself" or "smile to the side", I've been able to find 4 examples only.

In COCA, there are 15 examples only. I'd say it's pretty rare.

The OED does say that smile to somebody is possible, cf. "2a. To look on, upon, at, or to a person with a smile or pleasant expression. Also with advs., as back, down, over, up."

1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas IV. xii. xiii. 223 At these words of my god-daughter, I smiled to her father.

Now, there is another interesting expression, "to smile at/for/to the cameras".

I searched the BNC, and here are the results.

Ignoring cases like "smile to verb", "smile to oneself" or "smile to the side", I've been able to find only 4 examples of "smile to somebody".

In COCA, there are 15 examples only. I'd say it's pretty rare.

The OED does say that smile to somebody is possible, cf. "2a. To look on, upon, at, or to a person with a smile or pleasant expression. Also with advs., as back, down, over, up."

1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas IV. xii. xiii. 223 At these words of my god-daughter, I smiled to her father.

Now, there is another interesting expression, "to smile at/for/to the cameras".

I searched the BNC, and here are the results.

Ignoring cases like "smile to verb", "smile to oneself" or "smile to the side", I've been able to find 4 examples only.

In COCA, there are 15 examples only. I'd say it's pretty rare.

The OED does say that smile to somebody is possible, cf. "2a. To look on, upon, at, or to a person with a smile or pleasant expression. Also with advs., as back, down, over, up."

1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas IV. xii. xiii. 223 At these words of my god-daughter, I smiled to her father.

I searched the BNC, and here are the results.

Ignoring cases like "smile to verb", "smile to oneself" or "smile to the side", I've been able to find 4 examples only.

In COCA, there are 15 examples only. I'd say it's pretty rare.

The OED does say that smile to somebody is possible, cf. "2a. To look on, upon, at, or to a person with a smile or pleasant expression. Also with advs., as back, down, over, up."

1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas IV. xii. xiii. 223 At these words of my god-daughter, I smiled to her father.

Now, there is another interesting expression, "to smile at/for/to the cameras".