Most Common Last Names in America: Complete List & Statistics
The United States is home to an incredibly diverse range of surnames, reflecting centuries of immigration from around the world.
Top 20 Most Common US Last Names
- Smith — The most common surname in America, with roots in English occupational names
- Johnson — Meaning "son of John," one of the most widespread patronymic names
- Williams — Welsh origin, meaning "son of William"
- Brown — Originally a nickname for someone with brown hair or complexion
- Jones — Welsh patronymic name, meaning "son of John"
- Garcia — The most common Hispanic surname in the US
- Miller — Occupational name for someone who works in a grain mill
- Davis — Welsh origin, meaning "son of David"
- Rodriguez — Spanish patronymic, meaning "son of Rodrigo"
- Martinez — Spanish patronymic, meaning "son of Martin"
- Hernandez — Spanish patronymic, meaning "son of Hernando"
- Lopez — Spanish origin, from the given name "Lope" (wolf)
- Gonzalez — Spanish patronymic, meaning "son of Gonzalo"
- Wilson — English origin, meaning "son of Will"
- Anderson — Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Anders/Andrew"
- Thomas — Welsh and English, from the given name Thomas
- Taylor — English occupational name for a tailor
- Moore — English/Irish, originally describing someone near a moor
- Jackson — English, meaning "son of Jack"
- Martin — From the Latin name Martinus, widespread across many cultures
Interesting Facts
- Smith has been the #1 most common US surname for over a century
- Garcia and Rodriguez reflect the growing Hispanic population
- Nguyen is the #44 most common US surname, reflecting Vietnamese immigration
- Kim and Lee represent the Korean and Chinese American communities
Browse Last Names by State
Different states have different surname distributions. Browse our directory to find the most common last names in your state.
How to Use This Data
Our last name directory contains over 151,000 US last names. Browse by letter, search by state or city, and find people with any last name.