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Common Last Names

Q: Is my last name common?

Check the table: search this page for your surname. If it sits in the US top 110, it's among the most common surnames in the country. The rank is your answer. If it isn't here, that means it's thinner than the top tier, not that it's rare. The honest test is frequency data. The methodology page names the source class behind these rankings.

Q: What are common last names in Mexico?

Hernández, García, López, Martínez, and González. That is the same patronymic engine, running in Spanish. All five also sit in this page's US table, which tells the settlement story by itself. The Spanish-naming population is large enough that Mexico's common list is now visible in the US top 20.

One in every hundred Americans answers to a Smith, Johnson, or Williams. Here’s the ranked table, the long-stable US top tier, with what each name actually means, plus the world’s five biggest. Rankings get dated by census release. Meanings don’t change with them.

What are the most common last names?

The most common last names are Smith, Johnson, and Williams, in that order, decade after decade. The top ten below doubles as the classic answer; the full US table follows it. What common last names mean is the point of the table, not a footnote. Every rank carries its origin and meaning. The top shifts a little by census year; it never changes leaders.

The ten most common last names, ranked, with origins and meanings
Rank	Name	Origin	Meaning
1	Smith	English occupational	metalworker (Old English smið)
2	Johnson	English patronymic	son of John: ‘God is gracious’
3	Williams	English patronymic	son of William: wil (desire) + helm (protection)
4	Brown	English descriptive	brown: hair or complexion
5	Jones	Welsh patronymic	son of John
6	García	Spanish patronymic	son of García: Basque origin, meaning uncertain
7	Miller	English occupational	mill operator
8	Davis	Welsh patronymic	son of David: ‘beloved’
9	Rodríguez	Spanish patronymic	son of Rodrigo: ‘famous ruler’
10	Martínez	Spanish patronymic	son of Martín: from Mars

What are the most common last names in America?

The US top 110 is led by Smith and runs heavy with patronymics and trades. Spanish-origin surnames hold six of the top fifteen slots (García, Rodríguez, Martínez, Hernández, López, González). They climb higher in the Southwest, where the census map shifts toward Spanish-surname density. What is the #1 last name in America?Smith. Exact order moves a little between census releases; the source is dated on the methodology page.

Every rank carries a receipt: origin plus meaning.

The 110 most common US last names, ranked, with origins and meanings
Rank	Name	Origin	Meaning
1	Smith	English occupational	metalworker (Old English smið)
2	Johnson	English patronymic	son of John: ‘God is gracious’
3	Williams	English patronymic	son of William: wil (desire) + helm (protection)
4	Brown	English descriptive	brown: hair or complexion
5	Jones	Welsh patronymic	son of John
6	García	Spanish patronymic	son of García: Basque origin, meaning uncertain
7	Miller	English occupational	mill operator
8	Davis	Welsh patronymic	son of David: ‘beloved’
9	Rodríguez	Spanish patronymic	son of Rodrigo: ‘famous ruler’
10	Martínez	Spanish patronymic	son of Martín: from Mars
11	Hernández	Spanish patronymic	son of Hernando: ‘bold voyager’
12	López	Spanish patronymic	son of Lope: from Latin lupus, wolf
13	González	Spanish patronymic	son of Gonzalo: Germanic battle-root
14	Wilson	English patronymic	son of Will(iam)
15	Anderson	Scandinavian/English patronymic	son of Anders/Andrew: ‘manly’
16	Thomas	from Aramaic	twin
17	Taylor	English occupational	tailor (Old French tailler)
18	Moore	English locative/descriptive	moorland or dark-complexioned: multiple origins
19	Jackson	English patronymic	son of Jack
20	Martin	from Latin Martinus	of Mars
21	Lee	English locative	meadow, clearing (Old English leah)
22	Pérez	Spanish patronymic	son of Pedro: ‘rock, stone’
23	Thompson	English patronymic	son of Thomas: ‘twin’
24	White	English descriptive	white: fair hair or complexion
25	Harris	English patronymic	son of Harry: Henry, ‘home ruler’
26	Sánchez	Spanish patronymic	son of Sancho: from Latin sanctius, ‘sanctified’
27	Clark	English occupational	clerk, scribe (Latin clericus)
28	Ramírez	Spanish patronymic	son of Ramiro: ‘great judgment’ (ragin + meri)
29	Lewis	English, from Louis	renowned warrior (hlud + wig)
30	Robinson	English patronymic	son of Robin: Robert, ‘bright fame’
31	Walker	English occupational	fuller: one who walked on cloth to thicken it
32	Young	English descriptive	the younger
33	Allen	Celtic personal name	from Alan: meaning contested, ‘little rock’ or ‘handsome’
34	King	English status	king: a tribal leader, or one who played the king
35	Wright	English occupational	craftsman, maker (Old English wryhta)
36	Scott	English ethnic	the Scot: a Gaelic speaker
37	Torres	Spanish locative	towers (Latin turris)
38	Nguyen	Vietnamese	a musical instrument: the character 阮 originally named one
39	Hill	English locative	hill
40	Flores	Spanish, from Florus	flowering, flourishing
41	Green	English locative	village green
42	Adams	English patronymic	son of Adam: ‘earth’ (Hebrew adamah)
43	Nelson	English/Scandinavian patronymic	son of Neil: Niall, meaning contested
44	Baker	English occupational	baker (Old English bæcere)
45	Hall	English locative	hall: servant at, or resident of, the manor house
46	Rivera	Spanish locative	riverbank (ribera)
47	Campbell	Scottish nickname	crooked mouth (cam + béul)
48	Mitchell	English, from Michael	who is like God?: the rhetorical question
49	Carter	English occupational	cart driver
50	Roberts	English patronymic	son of Robert: ‘bright fame’ (hrod + berth)
51	Gómez	Spanish patronymic	son of Gome: Gothic guma, ‘man’
52	Phillips	English/Welsh patronymic	son of Philip: ‘horse lover’ (phil + hippos)
53	Evans	Welsh patronymic	son of Evan: John, ‘God is gracious’
54	Turner	English occupational	lathe worker: one who turns wood or metal
55	Díaz	Spanish patronymic	son of Diego: from James; root contested
56	Parker	English occupational	park keeper: gamekeeper of a noble’s park
57	Cruz	Spanish locative	cross (Latin crux)
58	Edwards	English patronymic	son of Edward: ‘wealthy guard’ (ead + weard)
59	Collins	English/Irish patronymic	son of Colin (from Nicholas), Irish form means ‘whelp’
60	Reyes	Spanish	kings (Latin rex)
61	Stewart	Scottish occupational	steward: household guardian (stig + weard)
62	Morris	English, from Maurice	Moorish, dark-skinned (Latin Mauritius)
63	Morales	Spanish locative	mulberry grove
64	Murphy	Irish patronymic	sea warrior (Ó Murchadha, muir + cath)
65	Cook	English occupational	cook: keeper of the kitchen
66	Rogers	English patronymic	son of Roger: ‘famous spear’ (hrod + ger)
67	Gutiérrez	Spanish patronymic	son of Gutierre: from Walter, ‘army ruler’
68	Ortiz	Spanish patronymic	son of Orti: from Latin Fortunius, ‘fortunate’
69	Morgan	Welsh	sea-born (môr + gen), second element contested
70	Cooper	English occupational	barrel maker
71	Peterson	Scandinavian/English patronymic	son of Peter: ‘rock, stone’
72	Bailey	English occupational	bailiff: steward of a manor or court
73	Reed	English descriptive/locative	red (ruddy) or reeds: two origins
74	Kelly	Irish patronymic	descendant of Ceallach: ‘bright-headed’ by tradition, contested
75	Howard	English, from Haward/hayward	fence watchman (hayward) or Norman Haward, origin contested
76	Ramos	Spanish	branches: Palm Sunday palms in particular
77	Kim	Korean	gold (金)
78	Cox	English	origin contested: pet form of medieval names, or ‘rooster, young man’
79	Ward	English occupational	guard, watchman (weard)
80	Richardson	English patronymic	son of Richard: ‘brave ruler’ (ric + hard)
81	Watson	English/Scots patronymic	son of Wat: Walter, ‘army ruler’
82	Brooks	English locative	streams (Old English brōc)
83	Chávez	Spanish/Portuguese	keys (Portuguese chaves, from Latin claves)
84	Wood	English locative	wood
85	James	English, from James/Jacob	supplanter: Jacob, ‘holder of the heel’
86	Bennett	English, from Benedict	blessed (Latin benedictus)
87	Gray	English descriptive	gray: gray-haired or gray-clad
88	Mendoza	Basque locative	cold mountain (mendi + (h)otza)
89	Ruiz	Spanish patronymic	son of Ruy: Rodrigo, ‘famous ruler’
90	Hughes	English/Welsh patronymic	son of Hugh: ‘heart, mind, spirit’
91	Price	Welsh patronymic	son of Rhys: ‘ardor, enthusiasm’ (ap Rhys)
92	Álvarez	Spanish patronymic	son of Álvaro: Germanic root, gloss contested
93	Castillo	Spanish locative	castle (Latin castellum)
94	Sanders	English patronymic	son of Alexander: ‘defender of mankind’
95	Patel	Indian (Gujarati) status	village headman, landholder
96	Myers	English locative/occupational	marsh (myrr) or mayor: two origins
97	Long	English descriptive	tall
98	Ross	Scottish locative	promontory, moor (Gaelic ros)
99	Foster	English occupational	forester: or foster-parent, two origins
100	Jiménez	Spanish patronymic	son of Jimeno: medieval name of debated origin
101	Powell	Welsh patronymic	son of Hywel: ‘eminent’ (ap Hywel)
102	Jenkins	English/Welsh patronymic	son of Jenkin: little John, ‘God is gracious’
103	Perry	English locative	pear tree (Old English pirige)
104	Russell	English descriptive	little red one (rous + -el)
105	Sullivan	Irish patronymic	dark-eyed (Ó Súileabháin, súil + dubh)
106	Bell	English/Scottish occupational	bell ringer, or bell maker
107	Coleman	Irish/English	dove (Colmán), or English ‘charcoal burner’, two origins
108	Butler	English/Norman occupational	butler: wine-cellar steward (bouteillier)
109	Henderson	Scottish patronymic	son of Henry: ‘home ruler’
110	Barnes	English locative	of the barn, granary (bern)

What is the most common last name in the world?

Wang, with an honest caveat about counting. Wang (王, “king”) carries the largest documented bearer count of any surname worldwide, on the order of a hundred million people across Chinese-speaking populations. The caveat: counting methods differ. Wang, Wong, and Ong are one name rendered in three romanization systems, and whether you merge or split them changes the total by tens of millions. Order-of-magnitude framing is the honest way to state it; the methodology page names the source class. The five biggest:

The five most common last names worldwide, with bearer orders of magnitude
Name	Language region	Bearers (order of magnitude)	Meaning
Wang	Chinese	on the order of 100 million	king (王)
Li	Chinese	comparable order of magnitude	plum (李)
Zhang	Chinese	comparable order of magnitude	draw a bow (张)
Devi	Hindi/Sanskrit	tens of millions	goddess: an honorific surname
Silva	Portuguese	tens of millions	forest (from Latin silva)

How do last names become common?

Common surnames are common because their sources were everywhere.Occupational breadth: every village needed a smith. The trade touched every household that owned a tool, a nail, or a horseshoe, so the name restarted in thousands of places at once. Patronymic engines: every John begat Johnsons, every William Williamses; Welsh naming ran the same engine on its own stock and produced Jones and Davis. Population scale: a head start of centuries compounds. A name that started everywhere in 1400 has had six hundred years to multiply.

Why is Smith so common? Because it isn’t one family. Thousands of unrelated smith lines took the same trade name independently. That is also why most Smiths aren’t related to each other, a fact that surprises people every time a DNA test reports it.

How do common last names differ from rare last names?

They measure the same thing in opposite directions: frequency.Is a common last name bad for a character? No. Names for background characters can pool common, and realism is a craft choice, not a compromise. A lead who needs to stand out might take the other pole; that’s the rare last names list. Pick the right name for the role, leads versus crowds:

Common versus rare last names
Attribute	Common	Rare
What it measures	Bearer count, frequency	The inverse: how few bearers
Naming effect	Blends in; reads as everyday	Stands out; reads as distinctive
Character use	Crowds and background casts, realism	Leads who need a mark
Example	Smith	Fernsby

What are common last names by country?

Every country’s common list lives on its culture pages, receipts attached. Japan: Sato leads a register of well over 100,000 surnames. The Japanese last names page tables it. Germany: Müller leads, “miller,” the same trade name wearing German clothes. France: Martin. Each list gets its own page with meanings as the culture hub ships.

Common last names, answered

Is my last name common?

Check the table: search this page for your surname. If it sits in the US top 110, it's among the most common surnames in the country. The rank is your answer. If it isn't here, that means it's thinner than the top tier, not that it's rare. The honest test is frequency data. The methodology page names the source class behind these rankings.

Are common last names good for characters?

Yes, for crowds, neighbors, and any cast that needs to feel real. A Smith or a Garcia reads as an ordinary person, which is exactly the job. A lead who needs to stand out might take the opposite pole, the rare-surnames page. One rule either way: don't give the whole cast top-20 names unless the sameness is the point.

What are common last names in Mexico?

Hernández, García, López, Martínez, and González. That is the same patronymic engine, running in Spanish. All five also sit in this page's US table, which tells the settlement story by itself. The Spanish-naming population is large enough that Mexico's common list is now visible in the US top 20.

The surname qualifier grid

This list is one of eleven under the surname hub. Each list covers one qualifier, with its own selection rule. The ten siblings, one line each:

uncommon surnames: the grid anchor, rarity as frequency.
sharp surnames: attitude, sound-first.
distinctive surnames: one-of-a-kind, by coinage or chance.
melodic surnames: a sound system, decoded.
Dixie surnames: US South settlement streams.
Vanderbilt-level surnames: generation depth and estate origins.
moody surnames: the trend label, decoded.
warrior-grade surnames: plosives, predators, receipts.
rural surnames: farm-and-field roots.
surnames for your cast: the writer’s facet.

Where the rankings come from. US ranks are drawn from published census surname rankings and dated there. World bearer counts are order-of-magnitude figures, never precise counts the source class can't support. Where the rankings come from →