What's In A Surname? The 100 Most Popular Last Names In The U.S. Tell Their Own Story

Last names don’t always get the same level of attention as first names. Think about it: Parents-to-be might spend upwards of nine months considering the perfect first and middle names for their babies. But the last name? That’s usually a non-issue. In previous eras in history, though, your last name is what carried the weight. There were how many English kings named Henry? But, mention Tudor-England and suddenly a very specific family and time frame comes to mind.

In America, we have the Kennedys — a family known for both their power and their tragedies. What sort of impression comes with your last name? If it starts with an O’, people immediately know (or assume) you’re Irish. Has anyone ever seen the -ez or -stein endings on your last name and immediately made assumptions about the language you speak, the food your eat, or the religion you study? To some people, the entire essence of their last name stems from all their mail with misspelled variations on the theme. In most cases, though, no matter whether you’re a Gomez, a Hatfield, an Iverson or a Jones, you’re proud of the history behind that name. Is your last name popular, though? See if yours made the list of the top 100 last names in the United States:

1. Smith

2 Johnson 3. Williams 4. Brown 5. Jones 6. Garcia 7. Miller 8. Davis 9. Rodriguez 10. Martinez 11. Hernandez 12. Lopez 13. Gonzales 14. Wilson 15. Anderson 16. Thomas 17. Taylor 18. Moore 19. Jackson 20. Martin 21. Lee 22. Perez 23. Thompson 24. White 25. Harris 26. Sanchez 27. Clark 28. Ramirez 29. Lewis 30. Robinson 31. Walker 32. Young 33. Allen 34. King 35. Wright 36. Scott 37. Torres 38. Nguyen 39. Hill 40. Flores 41. Green 42. Adams 43. Nelson 44. Baker 45. Hall 46. Rivera 47. Campbell 48. Mitchell 49. Carter 50. Roberts 51. Gomez 52. Phillips 53. Evans 54. Turner 55. Diaz 56. Parker 57. Cruz 58. Edwards 59. Collins 60. Reyes 61. Stewart 62. Morris 63. Morales 64. Murphy 65. Cook 66. Rogers 67. Gutierrez 68. Ortiz 69. Morgan 70. Cooper 71. Peterson 72. Bailey 73. Reed 74. Kelly 75. Howard 76. Ramos 77. Kim 78. Cox 79. Ward 80. Richardson 81. Watson 82. Brooks 83. Chavez 84. Wood 85. James .. Bennet 87. Gray 88. Mendoza 89. Ruiz 90. Hughes 91. Price 92. Alvarez 93. Castillo 94. Sanders 95. Patel 96. Myers 97. Long 98. Ross 99. Foster 100. Jimenez Related: 30+ Popular And Classic French Last Names That Scream ‘Ooh La La’