#456 HUANG Chinese surname that means bright or yellow. #722 McCLAIN Scottish clan name, originally Mac Gille Eathain, meaning son of the servant of Saint John. #600 ZUNIGA From the town of Estuniga, Spain. Similar to Johnson (above). #711 KAUR Sikh surname meaning Princess. #11 HERNANDEZ Son of Hernando. She loves to travel and explore the world, as well as share her experiences with others. #850 BENJAMIN Son of my right hand. #95 PATEL Indian/Gujarati surname meaning Landowner. 27 / 51 Nicole Fornabaio/rd.com, shutterstock Montana. #980 NOVAK The newcomer/new one. #94 SANDERS Family of Alexander. #254 DOMINGUEZ Son of Domingo #198 KELLEY Irish surname meaning bright headed or red-headed. Williams Williams is a surname commonly used by Americans and is the third-most popular surname in the US since 1900. Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 and 2010 censuses? Zamaco. #434 MANNING Strong, valiant. #709 TANNER Occupational surname for someone who tanned hides. #3 WILLIAMS - Son or family of William. #470 HUBBARD Variation of the name Hubert, meaning bright heart. #738 BARRY From the Gaelic surname O Baire, meaning the male descendant of Fionnbharr, or fair-haired one. #758 MOON Either from the French word moun meaning a monk or someone who lives a monastic lifestyle, or from the Cornish word mon, meaning thin applied to a person who was skinny. #774 DAVILA From the village. #940 AVALOS Spanish habitational surname for someone from balos, Spain. Keller Cool Last Names for Guys 1. Kyle: He somehow weaseled his way into the cool group without anyone noticing or caring. #625 MATHIS Family of Matthew. #140 OWENS Son of Owen. #978 LU Chinese surname of unknown meaning. This has led many people to take up nicknames or even change their names. hoarseness. Names held power, and this one would sustain him for a long time. Its also important to remember that not all Europeans who immigrated to the country spoke English. #944 WOODWARD Ward of the forest/woods. Davis was born in 1993, when Anthony was the 19th most popular baby boy name. These time-tested #824 MORSE Family of Maurice. #885 CASE Occupational surname for someone who makes boxes, cases, or chests. Data from the 2010 Censustells a different story. #559 ALI Exalted, revered. Literally means forest of pines. #604 POOLE Lives near a small lake or stream. To help you understand the above table, below is a description of each column and what it represents. #31 WALKER Occupational surname for a person who walked on damp cloth in order to thicken it. The following table shows the 100 most popular given names for male and female This Gaelic and English surname has many possible origins, but is most often derived from the personal name of the father, meaning "son of Colin." #451 GOODMAN Man of god, or landowner. 4. Most probably used for someone who was brave and formidable in battle. #524 HARTMAN Dutch surname used for a hardy/strong man. #215 CARROLL Irish surname from the Gaelic O Cearbhaill meaning fierce in battle. #455 FISCHER Fisherman. The most common derivation of this surname is as an occupation name referring to a person who worked in a grain mill. #894 HERRING Occupational surname for a fisher or seller of herring (fish). #660 HEATH Lives in or near a heath (open, unculivated land) or from a town named Heath. #811 GILLESPIE From the Gaelic Mac giolla Easpuig, meaning son of the bishops servant. #636 BRUCE From various place names in Normandy, France. #289 PARK Korean surname, meaning gourd. #685 WIGGINS Son of the high noble or warrior. #326 CHAMBERS Occupational surname, servant who worked the bedrooms or chambers. #21 LEE Family who lived in or near an open meadow or clearing. #818 BRADSHAW From the broad grove. #262 BISHOP Occupational surname for a bishop. 100 Common Australian Last Names Or Surnames These may include (1) 1. ", A patronymic surname meaning "son of Phillip." #728 HENSON Son of Henry. Adams It is a variant of the Scottish patronymic surname "MacAdam," meaning "son of Adam." Although common to England, this surname is quite popular around the world. "Common US Surnames and Their Meanings." #375 WARNER Guard. #624 COMBS LIves near a small valley (cumb). Literally means prominent. Literally means the beacon/lighthouse. #547 VILLARREAL From the royal estate/village. Its very common, but it sounds whiter to white Americans due to the prevalence of white names in their gene pool. Verlice 4. #868 PACE The peaceful one. #424 SWANSON Son of Swan or an occupational surname for a herdsman (swain). #381 LARA Spanish habitational surname for someone who came from Lara de los Infantes, a small community in the province of Burgos, Spain. #883 McMAHON From the Gaelic surname Mac Mathghamha, which means son of the Bear. #577 LOZANO Italian-Swiss surname for people from the city of Locarno, Switzerland. #170 HICKS Family of Richard. #601 CAREY Welsh surname meaning from the fort on the hill. Back when the 1990 U.S. Census was taken, the top-ranking surnames were largely of English, Irish, and Scottish origin. #797 BROWNING Descriptive surname from the Olde English brun meaning someone with brown hair or skin. #332 CRAIG Lives near the outcropping of rocks. #78 COX Occupational surname, a derivative of Cook #12 LOPEZ Son of Lope/Lobe, meaning wolf. The Surname Rodriguez: Its Meaning and Origin, Meaning and Origin for the Surname "Cook", The Origin and Meaning of the Last Name, "Long", PALMER Surname Meaning and Family History, Mitchell Surname Meaning and Family History, Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University. 20 Common Australian Surnames and Their Meanings, 50 Most Common Danish Last Names and Their Meanings, Learn This Patronymic Surname Meaning "Son of Robert", Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University. #388 SOLIS From the village or town of Soler. #756 MERRITT Habitational surname for a family who came from Merriott in Somerset, UK. All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau. #249 MALDONADO Ill-favored. #228 RICHARDS Family of Richard. A patronymic surname meaning "son of Peter." #817 HARDIN Habitational surname for families from any number of towns in England named Harden/Hardin. #315 NAVARRO Person from Navarre, France. #615 JEFFERSON Son of Jeffery. So if an Irish man didnt have the tell-tale red hair, he might change his name to something more British sounding in order to have an easier time finding a job. #4 BROWN Surname from a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair. #484 INGRAM People from England. #61 STEWART Occupational surname for someone who was a steward. #820 HOWE Lives near a man-made mound or burial mound. #344 SHELTON From the ledge/enclosure. #855 MAHONEY From the Gaelic surname OMathghamhana meaning son of Mathghamhain, literally meaning bear. #858 MEDRANO Abundance. There are plenty of pretty male and female names that can be used as gender-neutral options. #697 BOOTH Lives near a stall or hut. ", As it sounds, Brown originated as a descriptive surname meaning "brown haired" or "brown skinned.". #895 McKAY From the Gaelic surname MacAodh, literally meaning son of fire. The surname Smith occurs roughly 828 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. Literally Priests Town. #370 PHAM Vietnamese surame meaning extensive. #939 McCARTY From the Gaelic surname Mac Carthaigh meaning son of the loving one. Wassa was a feminine Anglo-Saxon given name. Though last names for girls and guys are interchangeable in most situations, the following 13 cool last names for girls are ones that can help your strong female characters stand out. Currently, the most popular White last name beginning with S in America is Smith, with a total count of 2,442,977 people who have the surname. #260 SINGH Lion-like. #147 WELLS From the well spring or water hole. Grain, wood, etc. #1 SMITH A smith is a craftsman, and was used for as an occupational title for many different crafts. #58 EDWARDS Family of Edward Huxley 6. The most common meaningis "descendant or son of Garcia (the Spanish form of Gerald).". Anderson comes from Scotland and has been used as a white last name for quite some time. #899 BERNARD Bold as a bear. Literally means wild olives. Bradshaw, (English origin) perfect for a beautiful and glamorous girl, like Carrie Bradshaw. #976 HESTER Either lives by the beech tree, or an occupational surname for a herald/town crier. Smith seems to be at the top of the list of the whitest names, followed by Johnson, Miller, Brown, Jones and Williams. (2021, February 16). #306 JUAREZ Son of Suero. #464 CASTANEDA Literally translates to chestnut, and might have been used to describe a person with reddish-brown hair or worked a chestnut grove. The Czech surname Skodopole means "Jump into the field!" and Nejezchleba means "Don't eat bread!" Garcia 7. #499 FRANK Person from France. #248 SANTIAGO Of the Saint Tiago/Diego. #573 SHAH Persian surname meaning king. #588 UNDERWOOD Literally means below the trees of a forest, and could be a habitational surname. As previously mentioned, America is a huge melting pot. #290 YANG Chinese surname meaning willow tree or aspen. #419 PACHECO Noble one, or person from France. McKenna 24. #391 CHANG Chinese surname with many meanings. #80 RICHARDSON Son of Richard. Despite the nation's growing racial and ethnic diversity, the five most frequent American surnames in 2010 remained the same as in 2000 and were mainly reported by whites and blacks. #832 CORONA Literally means crown, but could mean several occupations: someone who made helmets or hats, someone who was going bald, or a follower of Christianity referring to the crown of thorns. Wilson Meaning: Son of William. https://www.thoughtco.com/most-common-us-surnames-1422656 (accessed March 1, 2023). #881 BENDER German occupational surname for a barrel maker. #752 SHANNON From the Gaelic OSionain, an occupational surname for someone who worked with straw. #676 BOYER Bow maker. #912 BENTON From the town with the bent grass. All of the data on this page is sourced from the Decennial Census survey, from the United States Census Bureau. #585 BRYAN High, Noble. #869 RUSH From the place with reeds or occupational surname for someone who worked with reeds. #62 MORRIS Dark-skinned, from the Moors. Literally translates to the willow woods. Garcia jumped in popularity from the 18th-most-popular name in 1990 to the sixth-most-popular last name in 2010. #541 PRATT From the Old English word praett meaning a trick (like pratfall). #175 ROBERTSON Son of Robert. Finland has a few very commo. #299 FOWLER Occupational surname for someone who works with fowl (birds). If you are white, it is likely that you are of European or Nordic descent, therefore the history of white surnames could also be named the history of European surnames. This popular last name may be of German or English origin, with variant meanings. 10 Ava Because they are sassy Variation of Suarez. #951 STUART Occupational surname for someone who worked as a steward/assistant. #173 WAGNER Occupational surname for a wagon maker. #295 WALSH Welsh, foreigner, stranger referring to Celt. #781 BARR From the great hill. Starvation was common, and living in close quarters hastened the spread of diseases brought by white settlers. Hayes 8. The latter derived from the Middle English flo/fla meaning arrow, with the addition of the suffix er (one who does or works with). #67 GUTIERREZ Son of Gutierre. #856 VALENTINE Strong, healthy, valiant. Some spoke French, others Spanish, and some Dutch. #153 TUCKER Occupational surname for someone for a cloth thickener. ", A patronymic name meaning "son of Gutierre" (son of Walter). Thus, some people were given the last name Smith indicating they were a smith or the last name Miller indicating they were a miller. #538 MACIAS Spanish/Jewish surname meaning Messiah. #759 SALGADO Galician and Portuguese nickname surname for someone who was witty or wry, from the word salgado meaning salty. Poverly 23. #556 SANTANA Follower of St. Anna. #14 WILSON Son of William. #231 CARPENTER Occupational surname for a carpenter. White European immigrants in America were often poor and uneducated many white people changed their last names when they came to America. #129 HERRERA Occupational surname for an iron worker (ferrier). For example, in the surname MacDonald, Mac is the Scottish designation for son or daughter so MacDonald means son or daughter of Donald., The Scottish Mac is the equivalent of the Irish O and is used for the same purpose. Daniels is not as popular as a white last name, but it sounds white enough. #2 JOHNSON Son of John. #73 REED Red person with reddish complexion. #909 FRY Born free. This is when an individual took their fathers first name as their last which is denoted as adding son to the end of the surname. #23 THOMPSON Son of Thomas. We appreciate your support! #860 McMILLAN From the Gaelic surname Macghillemhaoil, meaning son of the monks servant. To find all of the most popular White last names by starting letter, you can choose a letter from the following list: If you want to search for different ethnicity or ancestry, we also have pages that will let you find last names beginning with S (or any other letter) based on a specific ancestry. #511 BOWERS Occupational surname for a worker. #575 NICHOLSON Son of Nicholas. These occupational last names are some of the most common in the United States today. Lee became popular as a name because of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate General during the American Civil War. #243 WHEELER Occupational surname for a person who made wagon wheels. #554 BURNETT Descriptive surname for someone with brown hair (brunette). #186 GARZA The heron bird. She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Smith. NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/white-last-names-starting-with-s/. #452 ROMAN Person from Rome, Italy. #734 SNOW Descriptive surname for someone with very pale skin or light blonde hair. #815 LEBLANC French surname for someone who was pale or had very blond hair. 2. #622 SINGLETON Habitational surname of people who lived in a town named Singleton or in or near a burnt clearing. Common US Surnames and Their Meanings. Or a respelling of the Irish ODuilleain, meaning descendant of the blind one. 2 Johnson 3. #310 CORTZ Person with manners. #487 CLARKE Occupational surname for a clerk. #403 CUMMINGS Possibly from the French town Comines. A patronymic surname taken from the ancient Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war. #400 HIGGINS From the Irish surname Huiginn meaning descendant of Uigin (Viking). #195 PAYNE Originally meaning pagan. #132 TRAN Vietnamese surname meaning old, ancient. ", Derived from the Germanic given name Lewis, meaning "renowned, famous battle.". Believe it or not, Europeans were not the first society to invent surnames. #152 WEBB Occupational surname from the name webber, meaning weaver. But, if you can trace your surname back to the point where it changed, people with white surnames generally have less of an issue following their ancestry than those with other types of surnames. Czech or Russian for 'white', Bela is used in Slavic cultures. #542 STOKES From the Old English stoc meaning trunk of a tree. #179 SALAZAR From Salazar, Spain. #421 CALDERON Spanish occupational surname for one who makes or sells cooking vessels (i.e. Alternatively, this Spanish and Portuguese surname may mean one who lived near a mulberry or blackberry bush. #773 MEADOWS Lives in or near the meadow. Despite the nation's growing racial and ethnic diversity, the five most frequent American surnames in 2010 remained the same as in 2000 and were mainly reported by whites and blacks. #840 RANDOLPH Shield Wolf. Most likely an occupational surname for someone who made axes or used them (like a lumberjack). lower back or side pain. #958 BURCH Lives near the birch tree or grove. #301 DAVIDSON Son of David. #16 THOMAS Son of Thomas. #972 DUDLEY From Duddas clearing Dudda was a nickname for a rotund/heavy person. #443 NEWTON From the new town. #830 SPEARS Occupational surname for a keeper of the Watch, which was an early form of a police officer. #736 PRESTON From the village with the priest. #882 SHEPARD Occupational surname for a shepherd. #450 BRADY Possibly from the Gaelic surname Mac Bradaigh son of the thief, or from the early English brad-eage meaning broad eye or someone with excellent eyesight. #485 WISE Wise or educated person. #161 GORDON Scottish surname meaning spacious fort or home. . #193 RYAN Irish surname and given name meaning descendant of a follower of Ran #922 FINLEY From the Gaelic surname Fionlagh, meaning fair hero. Granite Corian Solid Surface . #42 ADAMS Family of Adam. ", A patronymic name meaning "son of Gonzalo.". #223 PERKINS Son of Peter. #597 DECKER Occupational surname for a thatcher or roofer. #678 ARROYO Habitational surname from any of numerous places named Arroyo, literally meaning water channel or irrigation channel. #583 MORA Blackberry. #910 DELAROSA From the family of Rose, or from an area where wild roses grew. #440 GROSS Big, large. #720 AHMED Muslim surname meaning extremely praiseworthy. America was always known as the land of the free, and thus when many immigrants arrived in the country, they saw it as a great time to change their name and start over in life. #298 LUNA From one of the towns named Luna in Spain. To find all of the most popular White last names by starting letter, you can choose a letter from the following list: If you want to search for different ethnicity or ancestry, we also have pages that will let you find last names beginning with R (or any other letter) based on a specific ancestry. #389 ERICKSON Son of Eric. Literal meaning unknown. But who cares as long as the names are cute? ", A patronymic surname derived from the given name "Sander," a medieval form of "Alexander.". #138 CASTRO Portuguese/Spanish surname meaning Castle. Place name. The word means "son of Adam.'" The name is derived from the Hebrew noun "adamah," meaning "earth" or "the ground," from which God created the first human 'Adam.' Rather it was the Chinese who came up with the practice around the year 1000 BCE. What is the most common white last name? #706 BAXTER Occupational surname meaning a female baker. Brown 5. #117 PATTERSON Son of Patrick. #886 SAMPSON The sun. In the Nordic countries, they also distinguished between the son and daughter as the surname was established. #921 HORNE Occupational surname for someone who carved objects out of horn, or made musical horns (usually made out of animal horn at the time). #60 REYES Literally translated to Kings, it refers to the phrase La Virgen de los Reyes, meaning the Virgin of the Kings. #356 VAUGHN From the Welsh fychan meaning small, little Currently, the most popular White last name beginning with K in America is King, with a total count of 465,422 people who have the surname. #919 VILLALOBOS From the town of Villalobos, Spain, meaning the village of wolves. But this doesnt mean that there havent been some adjustments however that will make it difficult to trace your lineage. #995 DUKE Leader (of an army or troops). #989 MAYO From the family of Matthew. #876 EVERETT Herd of wild boars. #41 GREEN Occupational surname for a groundskeeper or family that lived near an open green. #227 PEA Lives near the rock or cliff. #444 BURGESS Free man of a fortified town. As it sounds, Anderson is generally a patronymic surname meaning "son of Andrew. #112 FISHER Occupational surname for fisherman. The links below will let you research Hispanic last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. #598 YODER Swiss surname meaning son or family of Theodore. #319 WADE By the ford. ", An English occupational name for a tailor, from Old French "tailleur" for "tailor" which comes from the Latin "taliare," meaning "to cut.". #932 LEVY From the family of Levi. #821 LIVINGSTON From the town founded by Leving (given name). Brown 5. Currently, the most popular White last name beginning with S in America is Smith, with a total count of 2,442,977 people who have the surname. #36 SCOTT From Scotland. #713 WILEY Habitational surname for families who came from a number of towns in the U.K. named Wiley. #459 MONTOYA From the hills and valleys. NameCensus.com. #398 VELASQUEZ Son of Velasco. Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. #224 HOFFMAN German occupational surname meaning property manager. #769 KNOX Near a round-topped hill (cnoc) What surnames are more common, depends the country, the language or the society, the people live in, never mind what colour they have. Barlowe (bahr-loh) #580 HOOVER From the German Huber, meaning plot of land or farm. Jayden. The final category used to create surnames is nicknames. The most recent statistics we have for these white last names is from the 2010 census. #119 HAMILTON From the crooked hill. Devi and Singh, the most common surnames in India, are at numbers 6 and 9, respectively. #56 PARKER Occupational surname for someone worked as a park keeper or game keeper. #508 BALL Descriptive surname for a bald man. #971 COMPTON From the valley farm. #481 HAMMOND From the Norse Viking name Hamundr, meaning high protection. #413 FRANCIS Person from France or free man. #258 OBRIEN Of the Family of Brien #267 WILLIAMSON Son of William An occupational name which originated in medieval times from the name of the trade, baker. #486 GALLEGOS Foreigners. English, Scottish, German, Irish, Scandanavian. #808 DUARTE A prosperous guardian. #834 BUCKLEY Lives near the goat clearing. Jones 6. #985 JARVIS From the given name Gervase meaning spear or spear/valley. #99 FOSTER Occupational surname, a contraction of Forester. The name Corian is the Dupont Corporation's brand name for its flagship solid surface countertop material. #809 ELLISON Son of Ellis/Elias/Elijah. #707 SAWYER Occupational surname for a woodsman or someone who worked with a saw. #934 RICHMOND Habitational surname from any of the towns in England or northern France with that name. #9 RODRIGUEZ Son of Rodrigo. #703 MARKS Family of Mark or Marcus. #810 NIELSEN Son of Niel. ", Patronymic name derived from "Jacob" and usually meaning "son of Jacob. #441 DOYLE Irish surname from the Gaelic Dhubh-ghall meaning dark stranger. #34 KING Ruler of the area. Bain (French origin) meaning "bath". 1 Smith 2 Johnson 3 Williams 4 Jones 5 Brown 6 Davis 7 Miller 8 Wilson 9 Moore 10 Taylor 11 Anderson 12 Thomas 13 Jackson 14 White 15 Harris: 16 Martin 17 Thompson 18 Garcia 19 Martinez 20 Robinson 21 Clark 22 Rodriguez 23 Lewis 24 Lee 25 Walker 26 Hall 27 Allen 28 Young 29 Hernandez 30 King: 31 Wright 32 Lopez 33 Hill 34 Scott 35 Green 36 Adams 37 Baker #257 JACOBS Family of Jacobs #933 HUBER German surname for the word hide, a unit of farm land. #208 BRADLEY From the broad meadow. #457 POTTER Occupational surname for someone who made pottery. #953 MAYNARD Strength, strong. #955 COFFEY From the Gaelic surname O Cobhthaigh meaning descendant of the victorious. #225 JOHNSTON From Johns town. 9. #369 LYONS Son or family of Lyon. Anouilh (French origin) among the French last names meaning "a slow worm". #718 KEITH Nickname for an offspring or young person. Smith, Johnson, Williams, . nausea. #239 ORTEGA From Ortega, Spain. #177 ROSE Lives near the roses. #635 BRIDGES Lives near a bridge or a bridge builder. #330 MIRANDA Place name, meaning a family who had a great (physical) view or outlook. #458 DELACRUZ Literally translates to of the cross. The links below will let you research black last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. A German first name that means resolute protector. "Dark and swarthy," from the Latin "mauritius," meaning 'moorish, dark' or from "maurus," meaning moor. #843 TREJO Habitational Spanish surname, for someone from Trexo, a place in Asturias in northwest Spain.