What your last name says about your family
Read more →Occupational
Named for a job: Smith, Miller, Baker, Taylor.
Patronymic
Named for a father: Johnson, Rodriguez, Murphy.
Locational
Named for a place: Hill, Green, Moore, Lee.
Descriptive
Named for a look or trait: Brown, White, Young.
Family names
Common American surnames
The most common last names in the United States, and the jobs, places and fathers they came from.
All surnamesSmith · occupationalJohnson · patronymicWilliams · patronymicBrown · descriptiveJones · patronymicGarcia · uncertainMiller · occupationalDavis · patronymicRodriguez · patronymicMartinez · patronymicHernandez · patronymicLopez · patronymicGonzalez · patronymicWilson · patronymicAnderson · patronymicThomas · patronymicTaylor · occupationalMoore · locationalJackson · patronymicMartin · from a first nameLee · locational (english); clan name (chinese)Thompson · patronymicWhite · descriptiveHarris · patronymicClark · occupationalLewis · from a first nameRobinson · patronymicWalker · occupational
About
How we explain names
Each entry gives the origin, the meaning and a short note on how the name came into use. Meanings come from standard etymological dictionaries of first names and surnames. Many old names have uncertain origins; when scholars disagree, we say so rather than pick a flattering answer. Name Meaning is run from 212 E Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715, United States.