90+ Southern Last Names As Charming As The Region Itself
Perfect for your little belle or beau.
If you’re considering Southern first names for your baby on the way but want something even more unique, you may be interested in the region’s surnames as well. After all, using last names as first names is a trend that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And if the American South’s culture, cuisine, literature, and lore have charmed you (like so many others), it might be the perfect place to look when deciding what to call your little one. Of course, the American South has a complicated past and present, and its story can be told — at least in part — by Southern last names.
Like the rest of the United States, the South was home to a variety of Indigenous Peoples, including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole nations. The Spanish were among the first to explore the region, beginning in the 15th century, and started colonizing what is now the state of Florida in the mid-1500s. The French and British soon followed, colonizing other parts of the South. Once tobacco was introduced and became the basis of the Southern economy, the colonists began to realize they needed more people to do the manual labor growing the cash crop required. Their solution was to capture and then enslave Africans and build an entire political economy and culture around ensuring that enslaved people were never treated as human beings. Throughout its history, the South has also been the destination of immigrants from around the world, including Europe and Central and South America.
Today, the American South has made great strides and is a destination known for its beauty, lifestyle, and hospitality. Still, there is much room for progress, and realizing its full potential means not glossing over the difficult parts of its history. Bearing that in mind, choosing a name from the region can serve as a way to further the dialogue surrounding the South’s inherent complexity — especially since many of the most popular last names in the region are a reflection of the aforementioned people, who imbued it with the culture it is loved for now.
So, ready to learn more about the region’s most enduring monikers? Here are some of the most common Southern last names, along with their meanings and origins.
Common Southern Last Names
1. Abel
Meaning: Breath, vigor
Origin: Anglo-Scottish
2. Adams
Meaning: Earth
Origin: Hebrew
3. Aiken
Meaning: Little Adam
Origin: English
4. Alden
Meaning: Friend
Origin: Scottish
5. Allen
Meaning: Little rock
Origin: Irish
6. Armstrong
Meaning: Son of a very strong man
Origin: Scottish
7. Baker
Meaning: One who bakes bread
Origin: Anglo-Saxon
8. Banks
Meaning: One who lives on banks of a river
Origin: Anglo-Scottish
9. Barnes
Meaning: Granary
Origin: English
10. Baskin
Meaning: Descendant of little Bass
Origin: Scottish
11. Bates
Meaning: Boat
Origin: English
12. Beauregard
Meaning: Beautiful view
Origin: English
13. Bennett
Meaning: Blessed
Origin: English
14. Berkeley
Meaning: Birch leaf
Origin: Old English
15. Birdie
Meaning: Little bird
Origin: German
16. Boone
Meaning: Good
Origin: English
17. Boseman
Meaning: Cunning
Origin: German
18. Bowen
Meaning: The son of Owain
Origin: Welsh
19. Boykin
Meaning: Timid
Origin: Slavic
20. Brown
Meaning: Brun Origin:
Old English
21. Buckley
Meaning: Buck or boy
Origin: Irish
22. Butler
Meaning: The bottler
Origin: English
23. Calhoun
Meaning: The nook/corner
Origin: Scottish
24. Callaway
Meaning: Pebble
Origin: Norman French
25. Carson
Meaning: Son of Carr
Origin: Scottish
26. Clark
Meaning: Scribe, clerk, or secretary
Origin: Anglo-Scottish
27. Cook
Meaning: One who sells cooked meat
Origin: English
28. Copeland
Meaning: Bought land
Origin: Old Norse
29. Corbin
Meaning: Raven
Origin: English
30. Cunningham
Meaning: Chief or leader
Origin: Scottish
31. Davenport
Meaning: Market town
Origin: English
32. Dawson
Meaning: Son of David
Origin: Anglo-Scottish
33. Dillard
Meaning: Descendant of little Dill
Origin: English
34. Doby
Meaning: Famous, renowned, bright
Origin: Scottish
35. Drayton
Meaning: Drag or sledge town
Origin: English
36. Duvall
Meaning: Of the valley
Origin: French
37. Ellis
Meaning: The Lord is my God
Origin: English
38. Farrow
Meaning: Ironworker
Origin: Medieval English
39. Ferrell
Meaning: Man of valor
Origin: Irish
40. Freeman
Meaning: Free man
Origin: British
41. Fry
Meaning: Free
Origin: English
42. Fuller
Meaning: One who deals with woolen clothes
Origin: English
43. Garcia
Meaning: Young
Origin: Spanish
44. Goodwin
Meaning: Good-hearted
Origin: English
45. Grady
Meaning: Noble
Origin: Irish
46. Harding
Meaning: Strong, hardy, brave
Origin: English
47. Harrison
Meaning: Son of Harry
Origin: English
48. Hayes
Meaning: Hedged area
Origin: English
49. Henderson
Meaning: Son of Henry
Origin: Scottish
50. Hernandez
Meaning: Son of Hernando
Origin: Spanish
51. Holt
Meaning: Forested upland
Origin: German
52. Howard
Meaning: Brave, spirit
Origin: English
53. Huger (pronounced hyoo-jee)
Meaning: Keeper of cattle
Origin: French
54. Jewel
Meaning: Generous
Origin: English
55. Johnson
Meaning: Son of John
Origin: Scottish
56. Jones
Meaning: Loan’s son
Origin: Welsh
57. Legare (pronounced luh-gree)
Meaning: To be troubled or abandoned
Origin: French
58. Madison
Meaning: Son of Matthew
Origin: English
59. Martin
Meaning: Of Mars
Origin: Latin
60. Martinez
Meaning: Son of Martin
Origin: Spanish
61. Moore
Meaning: Open land
Origin: Middle English
62. Perkins
Meaning: Kin of Pierre
Origin: Anglo-Saxon
63. Peyton
Meaning: Fighting man’s estate
Origin: English
64. Pinckney
Meaning: Someone from Pincino’s village
Origin: German
65. Redd
Meaning: Read
Origin: Old English
66. Riggins
Meaning: Little king
Origin: Irish
67. Rodgers
Meaning: Son of Roger
Origin: English
68. Rodriguez
Meaning: Son of Rodrigo
Origin: Spanish
69. Rutledge
Meaning: Root ledge
Origin: Old English
70. Shepherd
Meaning: Herdsman or guardian
Origin: Middle English
71. Simmons
Meaning: Victorious protector
Origin: Old Norse
72. Smalls
Meaning: A person who is of slender build
Origin: Old English
73. Smith
Meaning: To smite metal
Origin: English
74. Spalding
Meaning: District
Origin: English
75. Sullivan
Meaning: Dark eyes
Origin: Gaelic
76. Taylor
Meaning: Tailor
Origin: English
77. Tradd
Meaning: Spear or any sharp weapon for thrusting or throwing
Origin: Gaelic
78. Underwood
Meaning: Below the trees in a forest
Origin: Old English
79. Villarreal
Meaning: A royal settlement
Origin: Spanish
80. Ward
Meaning: Marsh
Origin: Old English
81. Waring
Meaning: Guard
Origin: English
82. Williams
Meaning: Protection
Origin: English
83. Yeller
Meaning: Farmer
Origin: German
More Southern Last Names
84. Abbot
Meaning: Priest
Origin: English
85. Ballard
Meaning: Ball or white spot
Origin: English
86. Atkinson
Meaning: The son of Adam
Origin: English
87. Barker
Meaning: A tanner of leather
Origin: French
88. Bailey
Meaning: Berry clearing, bailiff, or city fortification
Origin: English
89. Baldwin
Meaning: Bold or brave
Origin: German
90. Beale
Meaning: Handsome man
Origin: English
91. Bean
Meaning: Fair-skinned
Origin: English
92. Black
Meaning: One who was black-haired or has a dark complexion
Origin: Scottish
93. Bowman
Meaning: An archer
Origin: Scottish
94. Bush
Meaning: Dweller near a bush or a thicket of bushes
Origin: English
95. Caldwell
Meaning: Spring to stream
Origin: English
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