Most Common Last Names
Smith has been America’s most common surname in every modern census — about 2.4 million people carried it in 2010. But the list below it tells a bigger story: Garcia, Rodriguez, Martinez and Hernandez have climbed into the top 10, and Nguyen and Patel now sit in the top 100, a snapshot of how immigration has reshaped the country.
This page lists the 100 most common last names in the United States, based on the Census Bureau’s 2010 surname data (the latest full release), with each name’s meaning. After that you’ll find the single most common surname in 27 countries. For background on how surnames formed, see our main last names guide; for the opposite end of the scale, browse unique last names.
The 25 most common last names in the US
The top of the list is dominated by English and Welsh patronymics and Spanish “-ez” names, which also mean “son of.” Explore more in British last names and Hispanic last names.
| Surname | US rank | Meaning / origin |
|---|---|---|
| Smith | 1 | Metalworker (English) |
| Johnson | 2 | Son of John (English) |
| Williams | 3 | Son of William (English/Welsh) |
| Brown | 4 | Brown-haired or brown-skinned (English) |
| Jones | 5 | Son of John (Welsh) |
| Garcia | 6 | Possibly Basque, “young” or “bear” (Spanish) |
| Miller | 7 | Grain miller (English) |
| Davis | 8 | Son of David (Welsh) |
| Rodriguez | 9 | Son of Rodrigo (Spanish) |
| Martinez | 10 | Son of Martín (Spanish) |
| Hernandez | 11 | Son of Hernando/Fernando (Spanish) |
| Lopez | 12 | Son of Lope, “wolf” (Spanish) |
| Gonzalez | 13 | Son of Gonzalo (Spanish) |
| Wilson | 14 | Son of Will (English/Scottish) |
| Anderson | 15 | Son of Andrew (Scottish/Scandinavian) |
| Thomas | 16 | From Thomas, “twin” (Welsh/English) |
| Taylor | 17 | Tailor (English) |
| Moore | 18 | Lived by a moor, or a Moor (English/Irish) |
| Jackson | 19 | Son of Jack (English) |
| Martin | 20 | From Mars, god of war (English/French) |
| Lee | 21 | Meadow, clearing (English); also Chinese Li, “plum” |
| Perez | 22 | Son of Pedro, “rock” (Spanish) |
| Thompson | 23 | Son of Thom (English) |
| White | 24 | Fair-haired (English) |
| Harris | 25 | Son of Harry (English) |
Most common US surnames ranked 26–50
Occupations (Walker, Baker, Carter), landscapes (Hill, Green) and the first Asian surname on the list, Nguyen, appear here. See Vietnamese last names to learn why so many Vietnamese families share it.
| Surname | US rank | Meaning / origin |
|---|---|---|
| Sanchez | 26 | Son of Sancho, “holy” (Spanish) |
| Clark | 27 | Cleric, scribe (English) |
| Ramirez | 28 | Son of Ramiro, “famous counsel” (Spanish) |
| Lewis | 29 | Famous warrior (from Louis) or Welsh Llywelyn |
| Robinson | 30 | Son of Robin (English) |
| Walker | 31 | Cloth fuller (English) |
| Young | 32 | The younger (English) |
| Allen | 33 | From Alan, possibly “little rock” (Scottish/English) |
| King | 34 | Nickname for someone kingly, or a pageant king (English) |
| Wright | 35 | Craftsman (English) |
| Scott | 36 | A Gaelic speaker, from Scotland (Scottish) |
| Torres | 37 | Towers (Spanish) |
| Nguyen | 38 | Dynasty name (Vietnamese) |
| Hill | 39 | Lived on a hill (English) |
| Flores | 40 | Flowers (Spanish) |
| Green | 41 | Lived by the village green (English) |
| Adams | 42 | Son of Adam (English) |
| Nelson | 43 | Son of Neil (English/Irish) |
| Baker | 44 | Baker (English) |
| Hall | 45 | Worked at a manor hall (English) |
| Rivera | 46 | Riverbank (Spanish) |
| Campbell | 47 | Crooked mouth (Scottish) |
| Mitchell | 48 | From Michael, “who is like God” (English) |
| Carter | 49 | Cart driver (English) |
| Roberts | 50 | Son of Robert (Welsh/English) |
Common last names ranked 51–100
Listed in approximate order of frequency. Kim and Patel show how common a single surname can be within a community — Kim is carried by roughly one in five South Koreans.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Gomez | Son of Gome, “man” | Spanish |
| Phillips | Son of Philip, “lover of horses” | English / Welsh |
| Evans | Son of Evan (John) | Welsh |
| Turner | Lathe worker | English |
| Diaz | Son of Diego | Spanish |
| Parker | Park keeper | English |
| Cruz | Cross | Spanish |
| Edwards | Son of Edward, “rich guardian” | English / Welsh |
| Collins | Son of Colin | English / Irish |
| Reyes | Kings | Spanish |
| Stewart | Steward of a household | Scottish |
| Morris | Moorish, dark-skinned | English / Welsh |
| Morales | Blackberry bushes | Spanish |
| Murphy | Sea warrior | Irish |
| Cook | Cook | English |
| Rogers | Son of Roger, “famous spear” | English |
| Gutierrez | Son of Gutierre, “ruler of the army” | Spanish |
| Ortiz | Son of Orti, “fortunate” | Spanish |
| Morgan | Sea-born | Welsh |
| Cooper | Barrel maker | English |
| Peterson | Son of Peter | English / Scandinavian |
| Bailey | Bailiff | English |
| Reed | Red-haired | English |
| Kelly | Descendant of Ceallach, “bright-headed” or “war” | Irish |
| Howard | Heart-brave, or ewe-herd | English |
| Ramos | Branches | Spanish / Portuguese |
| Kim | Gold | Korean |
| Cox | Little cock, a leader or lively youth | English |
| Ward | Watchman, guard | English |
| Richardson | Son of Richard | English |
| Watson | Son of Wat (Walter) | English / Scottish |
| Brooks | Lived by a stream | English |
| Chavez | Keys, or from Chaves in Portugal | Spanish / Portuguese |
| Wood | Lived near a wood | English |
| James | Son of James | English / Welsh |
| Bennett | Blessed (from Benedict) | English |
| Gray | Grey-haired | English |
| Mendoza | Cold mountain | Basque / Spanish |
| Ruiz | Son of Ruy (Rodrigo) | Spanish |
| Hughes | Son of Hugh, “heart, mind” | Welsh / English |
| Price | Son of Rhys (ap Rhys) | Welsh |
| Alvarez | Son of Álvaro, “all-wise” | Spanish |
| Castillo | Castle | Spanish |
| Sanders | Son of Alexander | English |
| Patel | Village headman | Indian (Gujarati) |
| Myers | Mayor, steward, or lived by a marsh | English / German |
| Long | Tall person | English |
| Ross | Headland | Scottish |
| Foster | Forester, or foster parent | English |
| Jimenez | Son of Jimeno (Simon) | Spanish |
The most common last name in 27 countries
Figures come from national statistics offices and name registers, so methods differ; treat these as the widely accepted leaders. Explore our Korean last names, German last names and Chinese last names for full lists.
| Country | Most common surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| England | Smith | Metalworker |
| Scotland | Smith | Metalworker |
| Wales | Jones | Son of John |
| Ireland | Murphy | Sea warrior |
| Canada | Smith (Tremblay in Quebec) | Metalworker; Tremblay = aspen grove |
| Australia | Smith | Metalworker |
| Mexico | Hernández | Son of Hernando |
| Spain | García | Possibly “young” or “bear” |
| Argentina | González | Son of Gonzalo |
| Brazil | Silva | Forest |
| Portugal | Silva | Forest |
| France | Martin | From Mars, god of war |
| Italy | Rossi | Red-haired |
| Germany | Müller | Miller |
| Netherlands | De Jong | The young one |
| Sweden | Andersson | Son of Anders |
| Norway | Hansen | Son of Hans |
| Denmark | Nielsen | Son of Niels |
| Finland | Korhonen | Possibly from korho, “deaf” |
| Poland | Nowak | Newcomer |
| Czech Republic | Novák | Newcomer |
| Hungary | Nagy | Big, great |
| Turkey | Yılmaz | Undaunted, one who never gives up |
| South Korea | Kim | Gold |
| Japan | Sato | Helping wisteria |
| Vietnam | Nguyen | Dynasty name |
| Philippines | Dela Cruz | Of the cross |
How to use common surname data
- For genealogy: a common surname means more namesakes, so search with first name, place and date together.
- For writers: a top-100 surname makes an everyman character feel real; save the rare ones for characters who should stand out. Our cool last names list helps there.
- For usernames and email: expect Smith or Garcia to be taken — add a middle initial or a meaningful number.
- Check spelling variants. Census data counts Gray and Grey, Reed and Reid as separate names, so a family may be more common than one spelling suggests.
- Remember rankings shift. New Census surname files are released years after each count, so newer data may reorder the list slightly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common last name in the United States?
Smith, with about 2.4 million people in the 2010 Census, followed by Johnson, Williams, Brown and Jones.
What is the most common last name in the world?
Wang and Li each belong to roughly 100 million people in China, making them the most common surnames on Earth; Nguyen and Kim are also borne by tens of millions.
What is the most common Hispanic last name in the US?
Garcia, ranked sixth overall in 2010, followed closely by Rodriguez, Martinez and Hernandez.
Why is Smith so common?
Every medieval village needed a smith to make and mend tools, horseshoes and weapons, so the occupational name arose independently in thousands of places.
What is the most common Asian last name in the US?
Nguyen ranked 38th in the 2010 Census, the highest of any Asian surname, with Lee (shared by English and Korean/Chinese families), Kim and Patel also in the top 100.