Surnames: meanings, origins and distribution

Family names reflect centuries of occupational heritage, patronymics, geographic migrations, and cultural lineages. Explore etymologies paired with official United States Census statistics.

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Researched surname dossiers

Published surname etymological guides
SurnameOriginCensus RankUS Bearers
AndersonScottish, English, Scandinavian15th784,404
BrownEnglish, Scottish4th1,437,026
DavisWelsh, English8th1,116,357
GarciaSpanish, Basque6th1,166,120
GonzalezSpanish, Germanic13th841,025
HernandezSpanish11th1,043,281
JacksonEnglish, Scottish19th708,099
JohnsonEnglish, Scandinavian2nd1,932,812
JonesWelsh, English5th1,425,470
LeeEnglish, Chinese, Korean21st693,023
LopezSpanish12th874,523
MartinFrench, English, Spanish20th702,625
MartinezSpanish10th1,060,159
MillerEnglish, Scottish, German7th1,161,437
MooreEnglish, Irish18th724,374
PerezSpanish, Hebrew22nd681,645
RodriguezSpanish9th1,094,924
SmithEnglish1st2,442,977
TaylorEnglish, French17th751,209
ThomasWelsh, English16th756,142
WilliamsWelsh, English3rd1,625,252
WilsonEnglish, Scottish14th801,882

Top 50 most common US surnames

From the 2010 United States Census genealogy microdata. Surnames with researched editorial dossiers link directly to complete etymological and historical profiles.

Most frequent surnames in the United States (2010 Census)
RankSurnameRecorded BearersPer 100,000
1Smith2,442,977828.2
2Johnson1,932,812655.2
3Williams1,625,252551.0
4Brown1,437,026487.2
5Jones1,425,470483.2
6Garcia1,166,120395.3
7Miller1,161,437393.7
8Davis1,116,357378.4
9Rodriguez1,094,924371.2
10Martinez1,060,159359.4
11Hernandez1,043,281353.7
12Lopez874,523296.5
13Gonzalez841,025285.1
14Wilson801,882271.8
15Anderson784,404265.9
16Thomas756,142256.3
17Taylor751,209254.7
18Moore724,374245.6
19Jackson708,099240.1
20Martin702,625238.2
21Lee693,023234.9
22Perez681,645231.1
23Thompson664,644225.3
24White660,491223.9
25Harris624,252211.6
26Sanchez612,752207.7
27Clark562,679190.8
28Ramirez557,423189.0
29Lewis531,781180.3
30Robinson529,821179.6
31Walker523,129177.3
32Young484,447164.2
33Allen482,607163.6
34King465,422157.8
35Wright458,980155.6
36Scott439,530149.0
37Torres437,813148.4
38Nguyen437,645148.4
39Hill434,827147.4
40Flores433,969147.1
41Green430,182145.8
42Adams427,865145.1
43Nelson424,958144.1
44Baker419,586142.2
45Hall407,076138.0
46Rivera391,114132.6
47Campbell386,157130.9
48Mitchell384,486130.3
49Carter376,966127.8
50Roberts376,774127.7

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames. Covers all surnames occurring 100 or more times in the United States.