“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet asked that rhetorical question more than 500 years ago. This question still rings true today in 21st century America. Names tell a story – they can help shed light on heritage as well as on America’s population makeup.
For centuries, people have come to the U.S. to escape war, oppression, and poverty, or to pursue employment opportunities and success. Most Americans can trace their roots to immigrant ancestors. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Census data to find the 50 most common last names in the U.S.
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Today, the vast majority of the most common surnames in the U.S. can be traced back to England and other European origins. Among the top 50 most common surnames, 12 have Spanish, Cuban, or Mexican heritage.
The rise in Spanish surnames makes some people uncomfortable, a fact President Donald Trump tapped into in his presidential campaign. For a country built on immigration, fear of immigrants has somehow been a recurring theme.
All 12 Spanish-origin names found on this list have dramatically increased since they were last counted in 2000 — a stark contrast to English names that are mostly growing at a slower pace.
Do you think your last name made the list?
Click here to see the most common last names in the U.S.
To determine the most common surnames in the United States, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed past and present census counts to understand population diversity in America. The origin of each family name was obtained from open data on Ancestry.com. Photos of celebrities, well-known historical figures, areas of a name’s heritage, or imagery reflecting origin were used to represent each name.
Source: David Shankbone / Flickr
50. Roberts
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 127.7
> Total occurrences: 376,774
> Growth since 2000: 2.8%
> Heritage: England
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Source: U.S. DefenseImagery / Wikimedia Commons
49. Carter
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 127.8
> Total occurrences: 376,966
> Growth since 2000: 3.8%
> Heritage: England
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Source: US DHS / Wikimedia Commons
48. Mitchell
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 130.3
> Total occurrences: 384,486
> Growth since 2000: 4.4%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: University of Salford Press Office / Flickr
47. Campbell
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 130.9
> Total occurrences: 386,157
> Growth since 2000: 3.7%
> Heritage: Ireland, Scotland, England
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Source: Mark Taylor / Flickr
46. Rivera
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 132.6
> Total occurrences: 391,114
> Growth since 2000: 23.4%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: Matthew Becker / Wikimedia Commons
45. Hall
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 138.0
> Total occurrences: 407,076
> Growth since 2000: -16.3%
> Heritage: England
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Source: MC2 Erica R. Gardner, USN / Wikimedia Commons
44. Baker
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 142.2
> Total occurrences: 419,586
> Growth since 2000: 1.5%
> Heritage: England
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Source: Bob Jagendorf / Wikimedia Commons
43. Nelson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 144.1
> Total occurrences: 424,958
> Growth since 2000: 3.0%
> Heritage: Sweden
Source: White House research / Wikimedia Commons
42. Adams
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 145.1
> Total occurrences: 427,865
> Growth since 2000: 3.5%
> Heritage: England
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Source: Mike Douglas Show/ Wikimedia Commons
41. Green
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 145.8
> Total occurrences: 430,182
> Growth since 2000: 3.9%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: JessicaPinney / Wikimedia Commons
40. Flores
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 147.1
> Total occurrences: 433,969
> Growth since 2000: 28.0%
> Heritage: Spain, France, Mexico
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Source: The Come Up Show / Wikimedia Commons
39. Hill
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 147.4
> Total occurrences: 434,827
> Growth since 2000: 5.3%
> Heritage: England
Source: Thinkstock
38. Nguyen
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 148.4
> Total occurrences: 437,645
> Growth since 2000: 29.1%
> Heritage: Vietnam
Source: Christopher Johnson / Wikimedia Commons
37. Torres
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 148.4
> Total occurrences: 437,813
> Growth since 2000: 25.7%
> Heritage: Spain
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Source: Thinkstock
36. Scott
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 149.0
> Total occurrences: 439,530
> Growth since 2000: 4.4%
> Heritage: England, Ireland, Scotland
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
35. Wright
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 155.6
> Total occurrences: 458,980
> Growth since 2000: 4.1%
> Heritage: England
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Source: Heinrich Klaffs / Wikimedia Commons
34. King
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 157.8
> Total occurrences: 465,422
> Growth since 2000: 5.7%
> Heritage: Ireland, England
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
33. Allen
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 163.6
> Total occurrences: 482,607
> Growth since 2000: 4.0%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: Yoichi Okamoto / Wikimedia Commons
32. Young
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 164.2
> Total occurrences: 484,447
> Growth since 2000: 3.8%
> Heritage: England, Scotland, Ireland
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Source: Mathew Brady / Wikimedia Commons
31. Walker
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 177.3
> Total occurrences: 523,129
> Growth since 2000: 4.2%
> Heritage: England, Ireland, Scotland
Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons
30. Robinson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 179.6
> Total occurrences: 529,821
> Growth since 2000: 5.1%
> Heritage: England
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Source: Genvessel / Wikimedia Commons
29. Lewis
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 180.3
> Total occurrences: 531,781
> Growth since 2000: 4.1%
> Heritage: England
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Source: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons
28. Ramirez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 189.0
> Total occurrences: 557,423
> Growth since 2000: 30.2%
> Heritage: Spain, Cuba
Source: Edgar Samuel Paxson / Wikimedia Commons
27. Clark
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 190.8
> Total occurrences: 562,679
> Growth since 2000: 2.5%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
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Source: U.S. Congress/ Wikimedia Commons
26. Sanchez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 207.7
> Total occurrences: 612,752
> Growth since 2000: 28.0%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: vagueonthehow / Flickr
25. Harris
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 211.6
> Total occurrences: 624,252
> Growth since 2000: 4.9%
> Heritage: England
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Source: State Farm / Flickr
24. White
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 223.9
> Total occurrences: 660,491
> Growth since 2000: 3.2%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: thierry ehrmann / Flickr
23. Thompson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 225.3
> Total occurrences: 664,644
> Growth since 2000: 3.1%
> Heritage: England, Ireland, Scotland
Source: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons
22. Perez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 231.1
> Total occurrences: 681,645
> Growth since 2000: 28.3%
> Heritage: Spain
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Source: Ron Cogswell / Flickr
21. Lee
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 234.9
> Total occurrences: 693,023
> Growth since 2000: 12.6%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: Gage Skidmore/ Wikimedia Commons
20. Martin
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 238.2
> Total occurrences: 702,625
> Growth since 2000: 4.3%
> Heritage: Ireland, England
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Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons
19. Jackson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 240.1
> Total occurrences: 708,099
> Growth since 2000: 5.9%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
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Source: CHF videographer / Wikimedia Commons
18. Moore
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 245.6
> Total occurrences: 724,374
> Growth since 2000: 3.5%
> Heritage: Ireland, England
Source: Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office / Flickr
17. Taylor
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 254.7
> Total occurrences: 751,209
> Growth since 2000: 4.1%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
16. Thomas
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 256.3
> Total occurrences: 756,142
> Growth since 2000: 6.0%
> Heritage: England
Source: Smithsonian Institution / Flickr
15. Anderson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 265.9
> Total occurrences: 784,404
> Growth since 2000: 2.8%
> Heritage: Sweden
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Source: Harris & Ewing / Wikimedia Commons
14. Wilson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 271.8
> Total occurrences: 801,882
> Growth since 2000: 2.3%
> Heritage: England, Ireland, Scotland
Source: Thinkstock
13. Gonzalez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 285.1
> Total occurrences: 841,025
> Growth since 2000: 28.9%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
12. Lopez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 296.5
> Total occurrences: 874,523
> Growth since 2000: 28.9%
> Heritage: Spain
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Source: Charles Fenderich / Wikimedia Commons
11. Hernandez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 353.7
> Total occurrences: 1,043,281
> Growth since 2000: 32.3%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: Thinkstock
10. Martinez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 359.4
> Total occurrences: 1,060,159
> Growth since 2000: 26.9%
> Heritage: Spain
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Source: Keith Allison / Flickr
9. Rodriguez
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 371.2
> Total occurrences: 1,094,924
> Growth since 2000: 26.5%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons
8. Davis
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 378.5
> Total occurrences: 1,116,357
> Growth since 2000: 3.9%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
7. Miller
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 393.7
> Total occurrences: 1,161,437
> Growth since 2000: 2.9%
> Heritage: Germany, England
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Source: Mireille Ampilhac / Wikimedia Commons
6. Garcia
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 395.3
> Total occurrences: 1,166,120
> Growth since 2000: 26.4%
> Heritage: Spain
Source: Sean P. Anderson / Flickr
5. Jones
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 483.2
> Total occurrences: 1,425,470
> Growth since 2000: 4.4%
> Heritage: England, Wales, Ireland
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Source: Marion S. Trikosko / Wikimedia Commons
4. Brown
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 487.2
> Total occurrences: 1,437,026
> Growth since 2000: 4.0%
> Heritage: England, Ireland
Source: Edwin Martinez / Wikimedia Commons
3. Williams
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 551.0
> Total occurrences: 1,625,252
> Growth since 2000: 5.6%
> Heritage: England, Wales
Source: Yoichi Okamoto / Wikimedia Commons
2. Johnson
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 655.2
> Total occurrences: 1,932,812
> Growth since 2000: 3.9%
> Heritage: Sweden, England
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
1. Smith
> Occurrences per 100,000 people: 828.2
> Total occurrences: 2,442,977
> Growth since 2000: 2.7%
> Heritage: England
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