1,000 Top American Last Names: In Order of Popularity

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Ditch the obscure surnames and go mainstream with the most popular American last names below.

America is a giant melting pot of different cultures, languages, religions, and traditions. From Arabic, Spanish, English, and Italian (and every other nation on earth), American last names are as diverse as the country.

The U.S.A. has always been a magnet for immigrants. Whether you can trace your history to the Irish settlers of the mid-1800s or have connections to the Hispanic and Latin American community, we list the most common last names according to the U.S. Census.


1,000 Most Popular Last Names In America (The Top 100)

With so much diversity, America is a rich hunting ground for the 100 most popular last names.

  1. Smith – many American last names are English – means “blacksmith.”
  2. Johnson – this English name means “son of John.”
  3. Williams – means “son or descendant of William” in Northern French and “helmet protection” in German.
  4. Brown – after the color, describing someone “with dark hair or complexion.”
  5. Jones – of English and Welsh origin, meaning “son of John.”
  6. Garcia – some of the most common last names are Spanish – means “descendant of Garcia.”
  7. Miller – this Old English occupational term translates to: “one who grinds grain.”
  8. Davis – a patronymic Welsh surname meaning “son of David.”
  9. Rodriguez – one of many Spanish surnames to make the list – means “son of Rodrigo.”
  10. Martinez – another Spanish patronymic name meaning “son of Martin.”
  11. Hernandez – this Spanish name means “son of Hernando” and “brave in peace.”
  12. Lopez – continuing the Spanish theme, Lopez means “son of Lope.”
  13. Gonzalez – you guessed it – means “son of Gonzalo” and “noble warrior.”
  14. Wilson – an English surname meaning “son of Will or William.”
  15. Anderson – of Scottish, English, and Scandinavian origin, meaning “son of Anders or Andrew.”
  16. Thomas – derived from the Aramaic “t’om’a,” meaning “twin” and “son of Thomas” in English.
  17. Taylor – this Anglo-French occupational name means “tailor” or “cutter of cloth.”
  18. Moore – means “noble and stately” in Irish but also means “open land” and “bog” in Gaelic.
  19. Jackson – you’ve worked it out – this one means “son of Jack or John.”
  20. Martin – derived from the Latin Martinus, meaning “war-like” and “god of war (Mars).”
  21. Lee – from the Old English “lēah,” meaning “forest clearing.”
  22. Perez – another Spanish patronymic name meaning “son of Pedro.”
  23. Thompson – of English, Irish, and Scottish origin, meaning “son of Thom.”
  24. White – means “son of the fair Gillie” in Scottish, describing someone with “fair or blond hair.”
  25. Harris – a 14th-century Irish and English name meaning “son of Harry.”
  26. Sanchez – this Spanish name derives from the Latin “sanctus,” meaning “sanctified” and “son of Sancto.”
  27. Clark – derived from the Latin “clericus,” describing a “scholar” or “secretary/scribe.”
  28. Ramirez – one of many Spanish patronymic names – means “son of Ramiro.”
  29. Lewis – means “renowned” and “famous battle” in German and “like a lion” in Welsh.
  30. Robinson – this Old English patronymic name means “son of Robin.”
  31. Walker – a 13th-century occupational German name for someone engaged in “fulling” (woolen cloth making).
  32. Young – derived from the Middle English “yunge,” meaning “a distinguished younger son.”
  33. Allen – of Scottish, Irish, and English origin, meaning “fair” or “handsome.”
  34. King – the most regal surname derived from the Old English “cyning,” meaning “tribal leader.”
  35. Wright – taken from the Old English “wryhta,” meaning “woodworker.”
  36. Scott – a popular Scottish nickname describing someone “from Scotland.”
  37. Torres – a masculine Latin name popular in Spain and Portugal, meaning “towers.”
  38. Nguyen – the most common Vietnamese name meaning “musical instrument.”
  39. Hill – the perfect Scottish and English name for “someone living on a hill.”
  40. Flores – derived from the Latin “flos,” meaning “flower.”
  41. Green – after the color, this Norse name means “dweller near a village green or grassy area.”
  42. Adams – is an Old English name meaning “son of Adam.”
  43. Nelson – means “champion” in Irish and “son of Nell” in English.
  44. Baker – an occupational English name derived from “baecere,” meaning “to dry with heat.”
  45. Hall – from the Old English “heall,” meaning “worker or dweller at the manor house or hall.”
  46. Rivera – of Spanish and Italian origin, meaning “riverbank.”
  47. Campbell – derived from the Gaelic “cam” and “beul,” meaning “crooked mouth.”
  48. Mitchel – from the Middle English “mechel,” describing someone of “big stature.”
  49. Carter – an occupational Irish, English, and Scottish name for someone “transporting goods by cart.”
  50. Roberts – of English and Welsh origin, meaning “bright” and “renown.”
  51. Gomez – a patronymic Spanish name meaning “son of Gome” and “man.”
  52. Phillips – derived from the Greek Philippos, meaning “son of Phillip.”
  53. Evans – of Welsh and Cornish origin, meaning “son of Evan or Ifan.”
  54. Turner – possibly derived from the Old English “turnhare,” for a “fast runner” or describes a “woodturner.”
  55. Diaz – this Latin American surname means “son of Diego.”
  56. Parker – this English name derives from Old French and means “keeper of the park.”
  57. Cruz – first used in Castile in Spain – means “cross.”
  58. Edwards – this medieval English last name means “son of Edward.”
  59. Collins – derived from the Old English “cola,” meaning “dark/swarthy,” this surname means “son of Colin.”
  60. Reyes – this Spanish name is perfect for your little prince, referring to “kings” and “royalty.”
  61. Stewart – derived from the Old English “stigweard,” meaning “house guardian,” or the Gaelic “stiùbhart,” meaning “steward.”
  62. Morris – from the Anglo-Norman de Marisco, meaning “of the marsh.”
  63. Morales – a topographic Spanish name describing “a blackberry or mulberry bush.”
  64. Murphy – this cool Irish name means “sea warrior.”
  65. Cook – derived from the Old English “coc,” describing “a cook” or “someone “running an eating-house.”
  66. Rogers – with strong Germanic roots, this Old English name means “son of Roger.”
  67. Gutierrez – a popular Hispanic name meaning “son of Gutierre.”
  68. Ortiz – a well-loved Spanish patronymic name meaning “son of Orti.”
  69. Morgan – means “descendant of Morcant” in Welsh and “by the sea” in Cornish.
  70. Cooper – is an occupational Old English name describing a “barrel maker.”
  71. Peterson – a patronymic Scandinavian name meaning “son of Peter.”
  72. Bailey – from the Anglo-French “bailler,” meaning “bailiff or steward.”
  73. Reed – a gender-neutral British name meaning “with red hair.”
  74. Kelly – this Irish name has two meanings – “descendant of Ceallach” and “warrior/fighter.”
  75. Howard – is of Germanic origin, meaning “high defender” and “chief guardian.”
  76. Ramos – this Spanish and Portuguese name means “branches” and “bouquets.”
  77. Kim – is popular with the Korean community in the USA, meaning “gold” and “iron.”
  78. Cox – the ideal topographic English name for someone “living near a hill or mound.”
  79. Ward – is derived from the Old English “wearde,” meaning “to watch” and “guardian.”
  80. Richardson – this Middle English last name means “son of Richard.”
  81. Watson – a classic English and Scottish family name meaning “son or descendant of Walter.”
  82. Brooks – is of French, English, German, and Scandinavian origin, meaning “residing near a stream or brook.”
  83. Chavez – a popular Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning “at the waters of Flavius.”
  84. Wood – derived from the Middle English “wode,” meaning “wood,” describing a “dweller in a wood.”
  85. James – means “supplanter” in Hebrew, “may God protect” in Latin, and “son of James” in English.
  86. Bennett – is derived from the Latin Benedictus, meaning “blessed.”
  87. Gray – this English and Scottish name refers to someone “with gray hair.”
  88. Mendoza – originates from the Basque region of Spain – means “cold mountain.”
  89. Ruiz – derived from the Germanic Hrodric, this Spanish variation means “famous ruler.”
  90. Hughes – with Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and French roots, meaning “son of Hugh” or “fire.”
  91. Price – means “descendant of Rhys” in Welsh and “meadow” in Cornish.
  92. Alvarez – a classic Spanish surname meaning “son of Alvaro.”
  93. Castillo – a cool Spanish name for “someone living near a castle.”
  94. Sanders – derived from the Greek Alexander, meaning “son of Alexander.”
  95. Patel – this popular Hindu name means “headman” and “village chief.”
  96. Myers – means “steward or bailiff” in German and “mayor” or “son of the mayor” in English.
  97. Long – from the Old English “lang,” meaning “long” or “tall.”
  98. Ross – is of Scottish descent, meaning “promontory (high ground)” and “headland.”
  99. Foster – possibly derived from Forester, meaning “forest warden” or “forcetier” (maker of scissors) in French.
  100. Jimenez – a popular Spanish surname meaning “son of Jimeno (Simon).”

Unbelievable American Last names

After the top 100 names, let’s shine a light on the next tier.

  1. Powell – this Welsh/English name means “son of Howell or Hywell.”
  2. Jenkins – originating from Cornwall and later Wales, meaning “little John” and “son of John.”
  3. Perry – of English and Welsh origin, meaning “dweller near a pear tree.”
  4. Russell – this English, Scottish, and Irish name means “with red hair.”
  5. Sullivan – is a fantastic Irish name meaning “dark-eyed one” and “hawk-eyed.”
  6. Bell – a Middle English occupational name meaning “bell maker” or “bell ringer.”
  7. Coleman – this Irish/English name means “a burner of charcoal” and “servant of Cole.”
  8. Butler – derived from the French “butuiller,” meaning “servant of the wine cellar.”
  9. Henderson – of Scottish origin, meaning “son of Henry.”
  10. Barnes – is possibly Old English for “warrior” or describes a “worker/dweller in or near a barn.”
  11. Gonzales – a loved Spanish name meaning “son of Gonzalo, noble warrior,” and “war hall.”
  12. Fisher – an occupational name for a fisherman, derived from the Old English “fischere.”
  13. Vasquez – this medieval Spanish name means “son of Vasco” and “crow.”
  14. Simmons – a patronymic Old Norse name meaning “victorious protector.”
  15. Romero – is derived from the Latin Romaeus, meaning “Roman” in Spanish.
  16. Jordan – this baptismal name is taken from the River Jordan and means “to descend or flow down.”
  17. Patterson – is of Scottish, Irish, and English origin, meaning “son of Patrick.”
  18. Alexander – derived from the Greek Alexandros, meaning “defender of men” and “repulser of the army.”
  19. Hamilton – a habitational Scotting, Irish, and English name meaning “crooked hill.”
  20. Graham – a popular Scottish surname meaning “from the gravel area” and “gray homestead.”
  21. Reynolds – this Germanic name means “son of Reynold.”
  22. Griffin – means “ruddy complexion” in French and “son of Griffin” in “Welsh.
  23. Wallace – another Anglo-French name of Scottish origin, meaning “Welshman.”
  24. Moreno – of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning “someone with dark hair or complexion.”
  25. West – this Old English name refers to someone “from the West.”
  26. Cole – with Middle English roots, this name means “swarthy, coal-black,” and charcoal.”
  27. Hayes – derived from the Old English “haes,” meaning “brushwood or hedge.”
  28. Bryant – means “hill” and “strong” in Norman/French and “son of Brian” in Celtic.
  29. Herrera – this Spanish name comes from the Latin “ferrāria,” meaning “iron works or mine.”
  30. Gibson – an Old English patronymic name meaning “son of Gilbert.”
  31. Ellis – this English and Welsh name means “kindly” and “benevolent.”
  32. Tran – from the Chinese/American community, meaning “to exhibit, to display,” and “to explain.”
  33. Medina – this Middle Eastern Muslim name means “city.”
  34. Aguilar – from the Catalan region of Spain, meaning “haunt of eagles.”
  35. Stevens – an ancient Irish surname meaning “son of Stephen.”
  36. Murray – a Scottish habitational name describing a “sea settlement.”
  37. Ford – an Old English name describing a “shallow pass or river crossing.”
  38. Castro – this Spanish and Portuguese name derives from the Latin “castrum,” meaning “castle or fortress.”
  39. Marshall – is of Frankish/Scottish descent, meaning “lover of horses.”
  40. Owens – a classic Celtic and Welsh name meaning “son of Owen.”
  41. Harrison – is of Middle English origin, meaning “son of Harry.”
  42. Fernadez – a patronymic Spanish name derived from the German Ferdinand, meaning “son of Fernando.”
  43. McDonald – is of Scottish, Gaelic, and Irish origin, meaning “son of Dómhnall.”
  44. Woods – a simple Old English name meaning “at the woods” or “dweller in the woods.”
  45. Washington – derived from the Old English “wassa,” meaning “hunting town or settlement.”
  46. Kennedy – from the Gaelic “ceann” and “éidigh,” meaning “chieftan’s helmet.”
  47. Wells – taken from the Old English “waella,” meaning “from the well or spring.”
  48. Vargas – of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning “thatched hut, steep slope,” and “waterlogged winter pastureland.”
  49. Henry – an Old French and English name derived from the German Haimirich, meaning “home” and “powerful.”
  50. Chen – another popular Mandarin-Chinese name meaning “to explain” and “old.”
  51. Freeman – derived from the Old English “fréomann,” meaning “free man” or “free-born man.”
  52. Webb – this Middle English occupational name means “weaver.”
  53. Tucker – an Old English name derived from “tucian,” meaning “to torment,” describing a “fuller” (maker of cloth).
  54. Guzman – this Spanish name describes a “descendant of Guzmán (good man)” and “lord/nobleman.”
  55. Burns – of Scottish and Irish origin, meaning “descendant of Bran” and “burn house.”
  56. Crawford – an Old English and Scottish surname meaning “river crossing where crows nest.”
  57. Olson – a classic Scandinavian patronymic name meaning “son of Ole or Olaf.”
  58. Simpson – this Scottish/English family name appeared in the 1300s and means “son of Simon.”
  59. Porter – an English and Scottish occupational name for a “gatekeeper.”
  60. Hunter – derived from the Old English/Scottish “hunta,” meaning “to hunt.”
  61. Gordon – a popular Scottish and Welsh name meaning “spacious fort.”
  62. Mendez – this Spanish name means “son or descendant of Mendel or Mendo.”
  63. Silva – of Italian and Portuguese origin, derived from Latin, meaning “forest or woodland.”
  64. Shaw – derived from the Old English “sceaga,” meaning “dweller by the wood.”
  65. Snyder – this Dutch name derives from Snijder, meaning “tailor.”
  66. Mason – derived from the French “masson” and “macon,” meaning “stoneworker.”
  67. Dixon – an Anglo-Saxon name meaning “son of Dick” and a diminutive of Richard.
  68. Munoz – a common Hispanic name meaning “son of Muño.”
  69. Hunt – an Old English occupational name for people “taking part in a hunt.”
  70. Hicks – first used in Ireland, meaning “son of Richard.”
  71. Holmes – of English origin, meaning “holly tree” or “flat island,” given to dwellers near these features.
  72. Palmer – from the Old French “paumer,” meaning “pilgrim to the Holy Land.”
  73. Wagner – derived from the Germanic “waganari,” meaning “wagon-maker or driver.”
  74. Black – a Middle English nickname for someone with “dark hair or skin.”
  75. Robertson – a popular in Scotland and Northern England, meaning “son of Robert.”
  76. Boyd – the perfect Scottish and Irish name for a child with “blond or yellow hair.”
  77. Rose – an English habitational name describing a “rosy complexion” or “dweller near the rose tree.”
  78. Stone – first used in the 1200s; this Anglo-Saxon name means “dweller near a remarkable set of stones.”
  79. Salazar – derived from the Castilian “sala,” meaning “hall,” and “zahar,” meaning “old.”
  80. Fox – this nature-inspired Middle English name describes someone with “fox-like features and qualities.”
  81. Warren – one of the oldest recorded English surnames – means “park keeper.”
  82. Mills – an occupational Old English name derived from “mylen,” meaning “to grind.”
  83. Meyer – this Germanic name means “manager of the estate, headman of a household,” and “farmer.”
  84. Rice – this Welsh, Irish, and Old English surname means “fiery warrior” or “son of Rhys.”
  85. Schmidt – derived from the German “schmied,” meaning “blacksmith” or “metalworker.”
  86. Garza – this Spanish surname means “heron” or “dweller at the sign of the heron or dove.”
  87. Daniels – of Scottish origin, meaning “son of Daniel” and “God has judged.”
  88. Ferguson – this Scottish, Irish, and Gaelic name means “son of Fergus” and “son of the angry one.”
  89. Nichols – derived from the Greek Nicholas, meaning “victory of the people” and “people’s triumph.”
  90. Stephens – of Irish descent, meaning “son of Stephan.”
  91. Soto – this Spanish name derives from the Latin “saltus,” meaning “grove” or “small wood.”
  92. Weaver – an occupational Old English name derived from “wefan,” meaning “to weave.”
  93. Ryan – a classic Irish name meaning “little king.”
  94. Gardner – a beautiful occupational English name given to “one who tends the garden.”
  95. Payne – derived from the Old English “paien,” meaning “rustic” and “countryman.”
  96. Grant – taken from the French “graund,” meaning “tall” or “large.”
  97. Dunn – this simple Middle English name means “dark.”
  98. Kelley – of Irish origin, meaning “lively, bright-headed,” and “war.”
  99. Spencer – the Spencer family arrived with the Norman conquests – means “steward” or “butler.”
  100. Hawkins – of British origin, meaning “Hawkin’s son, brown,” and “lord.”
  101. Arnold – this Anglo-French name means “eagle nook.”
  102. Pierce – an Old French derivative of Pierre, meaning “rock” or “stone.”
  103. Vazquez – an alternate spelling of Vasquez, meaning “son of Vasco” and “crow.”
  104. Hansen – a German, Norse, and Danish name meaning “son of Hans.”
  105. Peters – this patronymic surname derives from the Greek Peter and means “son of Peter.”
  106. Santos – the perfect name for well-behaved Spanish boys – means “the saints.”
  107. Hart – this Old English surname means “bear, stag,” and “hero.”
  108. Bradley – an Old English name describing a “broad clearing or meadow.”
  109. Knight – derived from the Middle English “knyghte,” meaning “knighted” and “knightly servant.”
  110. Elliott – a habitational Scottish name after the town and river in Angus, Scotland.
  111. Cunningham – a cool Irish name meaning “descendant of Cuinneagán.”
  112. Duncan – derived from the Scottish “donn” and “ceann,” meaning “brown-haired head” and “chieftain.”
  113. Armstrong – a popular Old English nickname given to “a strong man with powerful arms.”
  114. Hudson – this medieval English name refers to the “son of Hugh or Hudd” (a hood-maker).
  115. Carroll – this benign Irish name means “fierce in battle.”
  116. Lane – an Old English name describing “a small pathway or road.”
  117. Riley – means “valiant” in Gaelic and “wood clearing or meadow” in Old English.
  118. Andrews – popular in England and Scotland – means “son of Andrew.”
  119. Alvarado – a unique Spanish name describing “a dweller near a white hill” or “on dry land.”
  120. Ray – derived from Middle and Old English meaning “female roe deer.”
  121. Delgado – this Hispanic name is loved and means “thin” and “slender.”
  122. Berry – an English town and a “fortified house” after the Old English “byrig.”
  123. Perkins – of Old English/French origin, meaning “little Peter” and “son of Peter/Pierre.”
  124. Hoffman – this well-loved Germanic name means “steward” and “manager of a property of another.”
  125. Johnston – imagine having a town named after you – means “John’s settlement” in Old English.
  126. Matthews – a firm favorite with English households, meaning “son of Matthew.”
  127. Pena – derived from the Spanish “peña,” meaning “rock, crag,” or “cliff.”
  128. Richards – another patronymic English name – means “son or descendant of Richard.”
  129. Contreras – a topographic Spanish name describing “someone from the surrounding area.”
  130. Willis – this Anglo-Saxon/Germanic name means “son of William.”
  131. Carpenter – derived from the Norman-French “carpentier,” meaning “woodworker.”
  132. Lawrence – from the Latin Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentium.”
  133. Sandoval – of Spanish origin, meaning “grove or wood on newly cleared land.”
  134. Guerrero – the perfect Spanish name for brave kids – means “warrior.”
  135. George – derived from the Greek Georgios, meaning “farmer” and “son of George.”
  136. Chapman – from the Middle English “chepman,” meaning “merchant” or “trader.”
  137. Rios – a simple Spanish name meaning “river.”
  138. Estrada – of Portuguese and Spanish descent, meaning” road.”
  139. Ortega – a habitational Spanish name derived from the Latin “urtica,” meaning “nettle” and “from Ortega.”
  140. Watkins – a patronymic Welsh and Old English name meaning “son of Walter.”
  141. Greene – a variant of Green, meaning “dweller near the green” and the color.
  142. Nunez – this Spanish name possibly means “son of Nuno, grandfather,” and “ninth.”
  143. Wheeler – an occupational Old English name for a “maker or user of wheels.”
  144. Valdez – of Spanish origin, meaning “brave, from the valley,” and “from Valada/Valado.”
  145. Harper – a cute musical English surname for a “harp player.”
  146. Burke – of Old English and German origin, meaning “from the fortified settlement.”
  147. Larson – a popular Scandinavian name meaning “son or Lars.”
  148. Santiago – this classic Spanish family name translates as “Saint James.”
  149. Maldonado – a unique Spanish name meaning “badly given” and “ill-favored.”
  150. Morrison – from the Norman invasion of 1066 – means “son of Morris or Maurice.”
  151. Franklin – of Middle English descent, meaning “freeholder” and “landowner not of noble birth.”
  152. Carlson – this German patronymic name means “son of Carl.”
  153. Austin – derived from the Latin Augustus, meaning “majestic.”
  154. Dominguez – the most Spanish of surnames meaning “son of Domingo.”
  155. Carr – derived from the Old Norse “kjarr,” meaning “swamp,” and describes “a swamp dweller.”
  156. Lawson – of British and Scottish origin, meaning “son of Lawrence.”
  157. Jacobs – of Hebrew origin, meaning “son of Jacob.”
  158. O’Brien – an Anglicized version of the Gaelic ÓBriain, meaning “descendant of Brian.”
  159. Lynch – another Irish name, this one meaning “mariner.”
  160. Singh – the perfect Sanskrit name for “an eminent person;” also means “lion.”
  161. Vega – an unusual Spanish name describing a “dweller in the meadow.”
  162. Bishop – from the Middle English “bissop/biscop,” meaning “bishop” or “overseer.”
  163. Montgomery – a classic French name meaning “mountain belonging to the ruler” and “manpower.”
  164. Oliver – a cool surname derived from the French Olivier, meaning “olive tree.”
  165. Jensen – this German family name means “son of John” and “Jehovah has favored.”
  166. Harvey – this English, Scottish, and Old Breton name means “iron” and “blazing.”
  167. Williamson – of Scottish origin, meaning “son of William.”
  168. Gilbert – this French/German surname means “bright, famous,” and “pledge.”
  169. Dean – derived from the Middle English “dene,” meaning “valley.”
  170. Sims – this Southern English name belonged to someone ”who lived/worked at the house of Symme.”
  171. Espinoza – a habitational name for numerous Spanish places – also means “thorn.”
  172. Howell – derived from the Old Welsh Hywell, meaning “eminent” and “remarkable.”
  173. Li – this short and sweet Chinese name means “plum” and “plum tree.”
  174. Wong – depending on the Chinese dialect, means “king, strongest, great,” and “to rule.”
  175. Reid – taken from the Gaelic “ruadh,” meaning “red-faced” or “red-haired.”
  176. Hanson – a classic patronymic Scandinavian name meaning “son of Hans.”
  177. Le – a popular Mandarin Chinese surname meaning “happiness.”
  178. McCoy – of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning “descendant of Aodh” and “fire.”
  179. Garrett – straight from the Dark Ages – means “spear” and “hard.”
  180. Burton – a traditional Old English surname meaning “fortified settlement.”
  181. Fuller – an occupational English name meaning “someone who processes woolen cloth.”
  182. Wang – probably the most eminent Chinese name – means “king.”
  183. Weber – taken from Middle High German, meaning “weaver.”
  184. Welch – derived from the Old English “welisć,” meaning “foreigner” and “Welshman.”
  185. Rojas – this Spanish name means “red” and describes a “dweller near red earth.”
  186. Lucas – derived from the Greek Loukas, meaning “from Lucania.”
  187. Marquez – a cool Spanish patronymic name meaning “son of Marcos/Marcus.”
  188. Fields – a topographic Old English name meaning “arable field” and “flat open country.”
  189. Park – a habitational English name describing someone who “lived in or near a parked area.”
  190. Yang – is of Mandarin Chinese origin, meaning “to face upwards.”
  191. Little – derived from the Middle English “littel,” meaning “little.”
  192. Banks – a popular Middle English name describing a “ridge, hillside,” and “riverbank.”
  193. Padilla – a few Spanish names come from cooking pots – means “frying pan” or “bread pan.”
  194. Day – probably derived from the Middle English “deye,” meaning “dairy-servant.”
  195. Walsh – a common Irish name describing a “Welshman” or “Wales.”
  196. Bowman – an occupational English and Scottish name for an “archer” or “hunter.”
  197. Schultz – of German and Dutch origin, meaning “village headman” and “constable/sheriff.”
  198. Luna – with roots in Spanish and Italian, meaning “moon.”
  199. Fowler – an English medieval occupation for a “trapper of wild birds.”
  200. Mejia – a Spanish name derived from the Latin and Greek Messias, meaning “Messiah.”

Crazy-Cool Most Common Last Names (301 to 600)

You’ll find more familiar American last names in this section.

  1. Davidson – a popular patronymic English name meaning “son or descendant of David.”
  2. Acosta – means “dweller by a river or the coast” and “the mountains” in Spanish and Portuguese.
  3. Brewer – this Old Engish male family name means “beer or ale-maker.”
  4. May – a cute Middle English last name typically given to “those born in May.”
  5. Holland – derived from the Old English “hōh” and “land,” meaning “ridge land.”
  6. Juarez – a patronymic Spanish family name meaning “son of Suero.”
  7. Newman – derived from the Old English “niwe man,” meaning “new person” and “stranger.”
  8. Pearson – a French name first listed in the 1300s, meaning “son of Pierre or Piers.”
  9. Curtis – of Old French and English origin, meaning “courteous, polite,” and “well-bred.”
  10. Cortez – a Spanish variation of Curtis, with almost 100,000 U.S. people bearing the name.
  11. Douglas – derived from the Scottish and Gaelic “dubh glas,” meaning “black stream.”
  12. Schneider – of German descent, meaning “one who cuts,” describing a “tailor.”
  13. Joseph – one of the most popular Hebrew names meaning “may He (God) add or increase.”
  14. Barrett – means “strife” in Middle English and “bear strength” or “war-like people” in Irish.
  15. Navarro – a trendy habitational name of Spanish origin, meaning “plain, low,” and “flat.”
  16. Figueroa – a habitational Spanish name describing a “fig tree.”
  17. Keller – of Germanic descent, meaning “cellar, basement,” and “a keeper of stores.”
  18. Avila – a noble Spanish name listing “people from Avila.”
  19. Wade – of English and Scandinavian origin, meaning “to go” and “ford” (river crossing).
  20. Molina – a classic Spanish occupational name for a “mill” or “millstone.”
  21. Stanley – an English topographical name describing a “stone meadow.”
  22. Hopkins – of English, Welsh, and Irish origin, meaning “son of Hob.”
  23. Campos – a topographical Spanish and Portuguese name meaning “fields.”
  24. Barnett – derived from the aristocratic title Baronet, meaning “burned fields.”
  25. Bates – an Old English name with two meanings: “boatman” and “lush pasture.”
  26. Chambers – an Old English name describing a “servant in the master’s chambers.”
  27. Caldwell – of Old English origin describing a “cold well.”
  28. Beck – this gender-neutral German and Hebrew name means “brook” and “stream.”
  29. Lambert – a mixture of Old English, German, and French, meaning” bright land” and “light of the land.”
  30. Miranda – stems from the Latin word “miror,” meaning “to admire” and “be wondered at.”
  31. Byrd – of Old English origin, meaning “bird-like.”
  32. Craig – a masculine name of Scottish, Gaelic, and Welsh origin, meaning “rock” and “rocky.”
  33. Ayala – this beautiful Hebrew name means “gazelle” and “doe/hind.”
  34. Lowe – an English and Scottish name meaning “young wolf.”
  35. Frazier – this popular French and Scottish name means “men of the forest” and “strawberry.”
  36. Powers – derived from the Norman-French “le Poer,” meaning “the miserly, poor one.”
  37. Neal – a popular Irish variation of Niall, meaning “champion.”
  38. Leonard – means “lion’s strength” in German and “descendent of” and “lover” in Irish.
  39. Gregory – from the Greek Gregōrios, meaning “watchful” and “vigilant.”
  40. Carrillo – a Spanish nickname for someone with “an irregularity of the cheek or jaw.”
  41. Sutton – a classic Old English name meaning “southern settlement.”
  42. Fleming – a cool English and French name derived from “flamanc,” meaning “man from Flanders.”
  43. Rhodes – this Old English name derives from “rod,” meaning “a clearing in the woods.”
  44. Shelton – an unusual Old English name meaning “shelf town” and “town on a ledge.”
  45. Schwartz – of German and Yiddish origin, meaning “black.”
  46. Norris – means “the Northman” in Irish and “nurse or wet nurse” in Middle English.
  47. Jennings – this cute British patronymic name means “little John.”
  48. Watts – derived from the Middle English Walter, meaning “powerful ruler” and “ruler of the army.”
  49. Duran – a trendy Catalan and French name derived from Durand, meaning “firm” and “enduring.”
  50. Walters – of English origin, meaning “son of Walter.”
  51. Cohen – derived from the Hebrew “kohein,” meaning “priest.”
  52. McDaniel – an alternate version of the Gaelic O’Donnell, meaning “son of Donal.”
  53. Moran – a popular Irish name meaning “descendant of Mόrán.”
  54. Parks – a habitational English name for someone “living in a parked area.”
  55. Steele – this Old English name describes a “person from steel” (a stile or climbing place).
  56. Vaughn – derived from the Welsh “bychan,” meaning “small.”
  57. Becker – of Middle High German and Middle Dutch origin, describing “a baker of bread.”
  58. Holt – has Germanic and Old English roots, meaning “small wood” or “grove of trees.”
  59. De Leon – possibly of French or Spanish origin, meaning “family of Leon.”
  60. Barker – first recorded in the 13th century, this occupational Old English name describes the “leather tanning process.”
  61. Terry – formed from the Old French Thierri, meaning “race, people,” and “rich.”
  62. Hale – this Old English name means “hero” and “of the hall.”
  63. Leon – a famous French city deriving its name from the Greek word for “lion.”
  64. Hail – a great English name for a “servant or worker at the great hall.”
  65. Benson – a simple patronymic English name meaning “son of Ben.”
  66. Haynes – this Old English name derives from “hagenas,” meaning “enclosure.”
  67. Horton – an Anglo-Saxon habitational name derived from “horu” and “tun,” meaning “dirt or muddy settlement.”
  68. Miles – a Middle English name of uncertain meaning – possibly means “good/generous, son of miles,” and “soldier.”
  69. Lyons – an upper-class Scottish and English version of Leon, meaning “lion.”
  70. Pham – a common name among the Chinese community, meaning “example, pattern,” and “model.”
  71. Graves – a cool Old English name for someone “living at the grove or thicket.”
  72. Bush – an Old English habitational name describing a “dweller at the bush or wood/grove.”
  73. Thornton – a descriptive Old English name referring to an “enclosure or settlement near a thorn bush.”
  74. Wolfe – this German name is short for Wolfgang and means “wolf.”
  75. Warner – from the Old French “warnier,” meaning “guard” or “army.”
  76. Cabrera – an uncommon Spanish name meaning “goatherd.”
  77. McKinney – an Old Irish family name meaning “son of Coinneach.”
  78. Mann – this German, English, and Scottish name means “man, person,” and “husband.”
  79. Zimmerman – a German/Jewish family name describing a “carpenter.”
  80. Dawson – a popular medieval name found in Scotland, England, and Wales, meaning “son of David.”
  81. Lara – means “to shine” in Latin and “to protect” in Russian and Greek.
  82. Fletcher – from the French “flechier,” meaning “arrow-maker.”
  83. Page – of Anglo-Norman descent, meaning “boy-attendant.”
  84. McCarthy – the perfect Irish family name for “loving” children.
  85. Love – surprisingly, this Scottish/English name derives from “luiff,” meaning “wolf.”
  86. Robles – a rare Spanish name meaning “oaks.”
  87. Cervantes – a habitational surname derived from the Galician village “of Cervantes.”
  88. Solis – a Spanish version of the Latin “sol,” meaning “sun.”
  89. Erickson – of Scandinavian origin, meaning “son of Erik.”
  90. Reeves – an alternate version of the Middle English “eaves,” meaning “at the edge or border.”
  91. Chang – a stereotypical Chinese name meaning “lasting forever.”
  92. Klein – a popular Dutch and German surname meaning “small.”
  93. Salinas – this Spanish habitational name derives from the Latin “salinae,” meaning “saltworks.”
  94. Fuentes – has the refreshing meaning of “fountains” in Spanish.
  95. Baldwin – an Old Germanic and Anglo-Saxon name meaning “brave” and “bold friend.”
  96. Daniel – a classic Hebrew surname meaning “God is my judge.”
  97. Simon – derived from the ancient Hebrew name Shimon, meaning “to hearken.”
  98. Velasquez – a patronymic Spanish name meaning “son of Valesco.”
  99. Hardy – an English and Scottish name derived from the French “hardi,” meaning “bold and courageous.”
  100. Higgins – this Irish surname means “descendant of Uiginn.”
  101. Aguirre – a Spanish version of the Basque Agirre, meaning “open space” and “pasture.”
  102. Lin – a cool Chinese name meaning “wood, trees, sun goddess,” and “gemstone.”
  103. Cummings – derived from an Old Breton personal name, meaning “crooked” or “bent.”
  104. Chandler – an Anglo-French occupational name for “a maker or seller of candles.”
  105. Sharp – derived from a medieval nickname from the English “scearp,” meaning “sharp and smart.”
  106. Barber – an Anglo-Celtic occupational name for a “person who cuts hair, beards, and pulls teeth.”
  107. Bowen – means “son of Owen” in Welsh and “descendant of Bohan” in Irish.
  108. Ochoa – a cool Basque name meaning “wolf.”
  109. Dennis – derived from a Greek boy’s name meaning “follower of Dionysus.”
  110. Robbins – a baptismal English family name meaning “son of Robert.”
  111. Liu – this ancient Mandarin Chinese name means “ax” and “kill.”
  112. Ramsey – a gender-neutral name of English origin meaning “garlic island.”
  113. Francis – derived from the Latin Franciscus, meaning “Frank” and “Frenchman.”
  114. Griffiths – a popular Welsh surname derived from Gruffudd, meaning “strong grip” and “chief/lord.”
  115. Paul – this American name stems from the Latin Paulus, meaning “small, humble,” and “little.”
  116. Blair – derived from the Gaelic/Scottish “blàr,” meaning “plain, field,” and “meadow.”
  117. O’Connor – a patronymic Irish name meaning “descendant of Conchobhair.”
  118. Cardenas – from the Latin “carduus,” meaning “blue” and “bluish purple.”
  119. Pacheco – of Spanish and Portuguese origin, meaning “freeman.”
  120. Cross – a habitational Old English name describing a “dweller near a cross.”
  121. Calderon – a Spanish occupational name from the Latin “caldaria,” meaning “cauldron.”
  122. Quinn – another patronymic Irish name meaning “descendant of Conn.”
  123. Moss – a topographical name of Middle English origin meaning “moss, bog,” or “swampy place.”
  124. Swanson – of Middle English origin, meaning “swineherd, peasant,” and “male servant.”
  125. Chan – means “snow” in Chinese and “God is gracious” in Hebrew.
  126. Rivas – in America, the most popular last names are typically Spanish – means “shore of the river.”
  127. Khan – of Turkish and Mongolian origin, meaning “military chief” or “royalty.”
  128. Rodgers – with Anglo-Saxon roots, this last name means “famous spearman.”
  129. Serrano – a topographic Spanish name for someone “living near a mountain ridge.”
  130. Fitzgerald – a classic patronymic Irish name meaning “son of Gerald.”
  131. Rosales – this habitational Spanish name refers to “anyone from the many places called Rosales.”
  132. Stevenson – a 10th-century English name meaning “son of Steven.”
  133. Christensen – a cool Danish variant of Christian – means “son of Christen.”
  134. Manning – taken from an Old Norse “manningi,” meaning “brave” or “valiant man.”
  135. Gill – an English surname with French/Norman roots, meaning “descendant of Gill or Jill.”
  136. Curry – a boy’s name of Irish and English descent, meaning “hill hollow” and “descendant of Comhraidhe.”
  137. McLaughlin – an Anglicized version of the Irish Mac Lochlainn, meaning “son of a Norseman.”
  138. Harmon – is of German and British origin, meaning “soldier” and “army man.”
  139. McGee – patronymic names are popular in Ireland – means “son of Aodh.”
  140. Gross – a regal name for monarchs from the House of Habsburg, meaning “big, tall,” and “great.”
  141. Doyle – is of Irish origin, meaning “descendant of Dubhghall.”
  142. Garner – an alternative of the Scottish and English Gardner, meaning “someone in charge of a granary.”
  143. Newton – first recorded in the 1200s, this English surname refers to “someone from the new town.”
  144. Burgess – from the French “burgeis,” meaning “citizen and freeman.”
  145. Reese – an Anglicized spelling of the Welsh Rhys, meaning “ardent” and “fiery.”
  146. Walton – this Old English name describes a “wooded town, farm,” or “hamlet.”
  147. Blake – derived from the Old English “blac,” meaning “dark hair.”
  148. Trujillo – this Spanish surname is habitational and describes an “inhabitant from Trujillo.”
  149. Adkins – a male and female English name meaning “family of Adam.”
  150. Brady – a well-loved Irish name meaning “spirited” and “broad.”
  151. Goodman – this Old English high-status name refers to a “master of a household.”
  152. Roman – taken from the Middle English Romain, meaning “from Rome” or “a Roman.”
  153. Webster – an occupational Norman/French name meaning “weaver.”
  154. Goodwin – an Anglo-Saxon family name meaning “good friends.”
  155. Fischer – a German occupational name describing a “fisherman.”
  156. Huang – a Mandarin Chinese name meaning “yellow.”
  157. Potter – an Old English name for a “maker of drinking and storage vessels.”
  158. Delacruz – a popular Spanish name meaning “of the cross.”
  159. Montoya – a topographic Spanish/Basque name meaning “hills and valleys.”
  160. Todd – this Old English and Scottish name means “fox.”
  161. Wu – an ancient Chinese name originating from the Jiangsu province, meaning “big” and “large.”
  162. Hines – of Irish, German, and English origin, meaning “home-ruler” and “king’s home.”
  163. Mullins – derived from the Old French “molins,” meaning “mills.”
  164. Castaneda – is from the Santander region of Spain – means “chestnut.”
  165. Malone – taken from the Irish Mael Eóin, meaning “servant of disciple of St. John.”
  166. Cannon – of Manx (Isle of Man) and Irish origin, meaning “son of a whelp” (puppy) or “wolf.”
  167. Tate – the perfect Old Norse and English name for a “cheerful, glad,” and “bright” child.
  168. Mack – this lovable American nickname has Irish and Scottish roots – means “son.”
  169. Sherman – an Anglo-Saxon occupational name meaning “shearer of woolen garments.”
  170. Hubbard – derived from the Old German Hubert, meaning “heart, mind, and spirit,” and “bright or famous.”
  171. Hodges – of English and Irish descent, meaning “son of Roger.”
  172. Zhang – a trendy Chinese surname meaning “to open up” or “spread.”
  173. Guerra – this Spanish and Portuguese nickname is perfect for belligerent people – means “war.”
  174. Wolf – a nature-inspired Old English name from “wulf,” meaning “wolf.”
  175. Valencia – this female name of Latin origin means “strong” and “healthy.”
  176. Saunders – this Old English derivative of the Greek Alexander means “defender of mankind.”
  177. Franco – a hipster Spanish and Italian name meaning “freedom.”
  178. Rowe – many of the most popular last names are habitational – means “dweller by a hedgerow” in English.
  179. Gallagher – derived from the Gaelic “gallchobhar,” meaning “foreign help.”
  180. Farmer – from the Middle English “fermer,” meaning “a collector of tithes and taxes.”
  181. Hammond – derived from the Old Norse Hàmundr, meaning “home” and “protection.”
  182. Hampton – an Old English family name meaning “home settlement.”
  183. Townsend – some names are self-explanatory, like Townsend, meaning “dweller at the end of a village/town.”
  184. Ingram – derived from the Old French Enguerran, meaning “raven.”
  185. Wise – this Old English name comes from the German “weiss,” meaning “white.”
  186. Gallegos – an ultra-cool Spanish habitational name describing “people from Galicia.”
  187. Clarke – this religious English and Irish name derives from the Latin “clericus,” meaning “clerk” or “cleric.”
  188. Barton – of Old English and Hebrew origin, meaning “barley settlement.”
  189. Schroeder – derived from the Old German Schröder, meaning “cloth cutter or tailor.”
  190. Maxwell – this Scottish name was initially recorded as Mackeswell in 1144, meaning “Mack’s spring/stream.”
  191. Waters – first introduced after the Norman invasion, and means “son of Walter.”
  192. Logan – derived from the Scottish/Gaelic “lagan,” meaning “hollow.”
  193. Camacho – this Spanish name means “linnet robin,” describing “a weak person with a hooked nose.”
  194. Strickland – an Old English place name meaning “piece of land or pasture.”
  195. Norman – meaning “Northman,” this Scandinavian and multi-national name also means “from Normandy.”
  196. Person – an English variant of “parson” or “rector of the parish.”
  197. Colon – derived from the Latin personal name Columbus – means “dove.”
  198. Parsons – of Irish and English origin, meaning “servant or worker at the parson’s house.”
  199. Frank – from the Middle English and Old French “franc,” meaning “free, open-hearted,” and “generous.”
  200. Harrington – means “town on stony ground, settlement on the heath,” and “tribe of the he-goat” in English/Irish.
  201. Glover – an Old English occupational name meaning “maker or seller of gloves.”
  202. Osborne – derived from the Old Norse Asbjørn, meaning “God” and “bear.”
  203. Buchanan – from a Scottish location, meaning “house of the canon.”
  204. Casey – a classic Old Irish name meaning “watchful” and “vigilant.”
  205. Floyd – this popular Welsh name means “gray” and “gray-haired.”
  206. Patton – this English, Irish, and Scottish name means “son of Patrick.”
  207. Ibarra – an uncommon Basque/Spanish name meaning “valley” or “plain by the river.”
  208. Ball – a common English topographical name for someone who lived by “a knoll or rounded hill.”
  209. Tyler – an Old English occupational name for a “maker or layer of tiles.”
  210. Suarez – derived from the Latin Suerius, this Spanish name means “swineherd.”
  211. Bowers – this Anglo-Saxon name means “cottage, a chamber,” or “maker of bows.”
  212. Orozco – this unusual Spanish name takes its meaning from the place in Bilbao.
  213. Salas – commonly found in Mexico and Costa Rica, meaning “room” or “hall.”
  214. Cobb – derived from the Middle English “cobba,” meaning “lump.”
  215. Gibbs – this English/Scottish name means “son of Gibb” and “bright pledge.”
  216. Andrade – possibly a Spanish/Portuguese place name, meaning “from the estate of Andreas.”
  217. Bauer – of German origin, meaning “peasant” and “farmer.”
  218. Conner – this classic Irish/Gaelic name means “wolf kin, lover of hounds,” and “lover of wolves.”
  219. Moody – derived from the Middle English nickname Mody, meaning “haughty, fierce,” and “proud.”
  220. Escobar – this infamous Hispanic surname means “a place overgrown with broom.”
  221. McGuire – an Anglicized version of the Gaelic Mag Uidhir, meaning “son of Odhar.”
  222. Lloyd – originating from Wales in the 1300s, meaning “gray or brown-haired.”
  223. Mueller – this hugely popular Austrian and German name means “miller.”
  224. Hartman – the perfect German and Swiss name for a “hard or strong man.”
  225. French – while French may refer to a “Frenchman,” it also derives from “fraxinus,” meaning “ash tree.”
  226. Kramer – this German/Jewish occupational name describes a “trader” or “shopkeeper.”
  227. McBride – of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning “son of the servant of Saint Brigit.”
  228. Pope – derived from the Latin “papa,” this Scottish and English name means “father.”
  229. Lindsey – a Scottish surname meaning “island of Linden trees.”
  230. Velazquez – this patronymic Spanish name means “son of Velasco.”
  231. Norton – an English name in the same vein as Easton, Weston, and Sutton – means “North settlement.”
  232. McCormick – derived from the Gaelic Mac Cormaic, meaning “son of Cormac.”
  233. Sparks – an Anglo-Saxon name meaning “son of Sparrowhawk.”
  234. Flynn – this Irish name means “descendant of Flann,” describing someone with a “ruddy complexion.”
  235. Yates – taken from the Old English “geat,” meaning “gates” and “dweller by the gates.”
  236. Hogan – this unusual Irish name from County Tipperary, means “young warrior.”
  237. Marsh – derived from the Middle English “mersche,” meaning “swamp” or “bog.”
  238. Macías – this Spanish surname is derived from Mateo or Matthew, meaning “gift of God.”
  239. Villanueva – a Spanish habitational name meaning “new outlying settlement” or “farmstead.”
  240. Zamora – meaning “wild olives,” this Spanish name also describes the ancient city of Zamora.
  241. Pratt – means “cunning” in Old English and “meadow” in Old French.
  242. Stokes – this Old English name describes “the city of Stoke” and “someone from Stoke.”
  243. Owen – derived from the Welsh name Owain, meaning “well-born” and “noble.”
  244. Ballard – mainly derived from Middle English, meaning “bald head.”
  245. Lang – an Old English, Germanic, and Scottish name meaning “long” or “tall.”
  246. Brock – a nature-inspired Old English name meaning “badger.”
  247. Villarreal – a Spanish habitational name describing several places – means “outlying royal settlement.”
  248. Charles – derived from the Anglo-Saxon “ceorl,” meaning “farmer” or “bondsman.”
  249. Drake – means “male duck” in English and “dragon” in Old Norse.
  250. Barrera – the perfect Spanish/Catalan name for a “dweller near a gate, fence,” or “barrier.”
  251. Cain – the best Gaelic and Manx (Isle of Man) name for your little “warrior.”
  252. Patrick – derived from the Latin Patricius, meaning “nobleman” and “member of the Patrician classes.”
  253. Pineda – this Catalan/Spanish last name means “pine forest.”
  254. Burnett – from the Old French “brunette,” meaning “dark brown.”
  255. Mercado – a Spanish topographic name describing someone “living or working near or in a market.”
  256. Santana – a cool Spanish name meaning “holy” and “follower of St. Anne.”
  257. Shepherd – an occupational Old English name for someone who “watched and herded sheep.”
  258. Bautista – referencing John the Baptist, this religious Spanish name means “baptist.”
  259. Ali – this short and sweet Arabic name means “high, exalted,” and “elevated.”
  260. Shaffer – a German occupational name for “a steward or bailiff.”
  261. Lamb – perhaps a diminutive of the Old English Lambert or describing “someone with “animal characteristics.”
  262. Trevino – this Spanish habitational name describes a “dweller living on the boundary of two farms/settlements.”
  263. McKenzie – a popular Gaelic surname meaning “son of the fair, bright one.”
  264. Hess – a Germanic surname hailing from the region of Hesse.
  265. Beil – this occupational/habitational name refers to “a bell maker, ringer,” or “dweller near a bell.”
  266. Olsen – a Danish-Norwegian surname for a “son of Ole.”
  267. Cochran – a trendy Irish and Scottish name meaning “red brook.”
  268. Morton – the translation of this English name is “moor town or settlement.”
  269. Nash – a topographical and habitational British boy’s name meaning “by the ash tree.”
  270. Wilkins – of Welsh and English origin, meaning “son of William.”
  271. Petersen – this patronymic Scandinavian name means “son of Peter.”
  272. Briggs – an Old English name derived from the Old Norse “bryggja,” meaning “bridge.”
  273. Shah – a regal Persian (Iranian) name meaning “king.”
  274. Roth – derived from the Middle High German “rot,” meaning “person with red hair.”
  275. Nicholson – an English and Scottish surname meaning “son or descendant of Nichol or Nicholas.”
  276. Holloway – an old-school English name meaning “hollow or sunken road.”
  277. Lozano – a Spanish nickname for a “haughty and elegant person from Lozano.”
  278. Rangel – a topographic German name meaning “a mighty ruler.”
  279. Flowers – an occupational Old English name derived from “flo-er,” meaning “archer” and “arrow shooter.”
  280. Hoover – this Dutch and German name derives from Huber, meaning “a large measure of land.”
  281. Short – taken from the Old English “sceort,” meaning “a short person.”
  282. Arias – probably derived from the Latin “aro,” meaning “farmer” or “craftsman” in Spanish.
  283. Mora – this Old Roman name originated in Spain and Portugal and means “blackberry” or “edible fruit.”
  284. Valenzuela – a habitational Spanish name describing the city of Valencia – means “little Valencia.”
  285. Bryan – derived from de Brionne, a town in Northern France, meaning “strong” and “virtuous.”
  286. Meyers – from the Old French Maire, meaning “mayor” or “officer in charge of legal matters.”
  287. Weiss – this German/Jewish surname means “white, bright,” and “shining.”
  288. Underwood – an English topographical name meaning “under or below wood.”
  289. Bass – is derived from the Latin “bassus,” meaning “thickset, low,” and “short” in Old French.
  290. Greer – an unusual Scottish name meaning “alert, watchful,” and “swift.”
  291. Summers – of Irish descent, meaning “descendant of Somachán” and “soft and gentle.”
  292. Houston – a traditional Scottish name meaning “from Hugh’s town” and “settlement on the hill.”
  293. Carson – this Irish and Scottish family name means “son of the marsh-dwellers.”
  294. Morrow – is an Old Gaelic Scottish name derived from “murchadh,” meaning “sea warrior.”
  295. Clayton – an Old English habitational name for a “clay town or settlement.”
  296. Whitaker – of Anglo-Saxon heritage, meaning “white field” or “wheat field.”
  297. Decker – derived from the Middle German “decke,” this occupational name means “roofer or carpenter.”
  298. Yoder – originally spelled Joder, this Swiss/German name is a short version of Theodore.
  299. Collier – an occupation Middle English name for a “maker or seller of charcoal.”
  300. Zuniga – from the Basque region of Spain, meaning “cultivated field” and “incline, slope.”

Outstandingly Popular U.S. Family Names

Welcome to the final batch of well-loved American last names to make the top 1,000.

  1. Carey – is of Celtic descent, meaning “dark” and “black.”
  2. Wilcox – an English patronymic name meaning “son of William” and “little Will.”
  3. Melendez – this popular Spanish surname in the U.S.A. and Puerto Rico means “descendant of Melendro.”
  4. Poole – an English and Welsh name with geographical roots – means “dweller near a pool.”
  5. Roberson – an English patronymic name meaning “son of Robert.”
  6. Larsen – this Scandinavian name is patronymic and means “son of Lars.”
  7. Conley – this Irish name has a powerful lineage and means “great chief, wise,” and “chaste fire.”
  8. Davenport – an English name meaning “by the stream that leads to the bay.”
  9. Copeland – a Scottish and English name derived from the Old Norse “kaupa-land,” meaning “bought land.”
  10. Massey – an English variant of the Hebrew Matthew, meaning “gift of God.”
  11. Lam – means “gentle or lame man” in Old Norse and “blue” in Cantonese.
  12. Huff – means “heel” in Old English and “heart, mind, and spirit” in German.
  13. Rocha – a quirky Portuguese name meaning “rock” or “boulder.”
  14. Cameron – derived from the Gaelic “cam sron,” meaning “crooked nose.”
  15. Jefferson – this masculine Old English name means “son of Jeffrey.”
  16. Hood – the perfect English and Scottish name for a “wearer or maker of hoods.”
  17. Monroe – of Scottish and Irish origin, meaning “mouth of the River Roe.”
  18. Anthony – derived from the Roman family name Antonius, meaning “priceless one.”
  19. Pittman – a habitational Old English name for a “dweller or worker near a pit, hollow, or quarry.”
  20. Huynh – means “yellow or golden” in Chinese and “older brother” in Vietnamese.
  21. Randall – derived from the Old Norse Rannúlfr, meaning “wolf shield.”
  22. Singleton – from the Old English “sengel,” meaning “bundle, tuft” and “farmstead estate.”
  23. Kirk – this Scottish name derives from the Old Norse “kirkja,” meaning “church.”
  24. Combs – an Anglo-Celtic topographical name meaning “dweller at the hollow, valley” or “hill-recess.”
  25. Mathis – this French name derives from the Hebrew Matthew and means “gift of God.”
  26. Christian – a classic biblical name meaning “follower of Christ.”
  27. Skinner – an occupational Middle English name describing someone who “stripped the hide from animals.”
  28. Bradford – an Old English place name meaning “broad ford” or “wide river crossing.”
  29. Richard – derived from the Germanic “rik” and “hardu,” meaning “ruler, king,” and “strong and brave.”
  30. Galvan – an unusual Gaelic/Irish moniker meaning “brilliantly white.”
  31. Wall – derived from the Old English “weall,” meaning “dweller near a stone wall or rampart.”
  32. Boone – an Old French name that means “good” or “blessing.”
  33. Kirby – plenty of the most common last names are Irish – means “church settlement.”
  34. Wilkinson – a German patronymic name meaning “son of William.”
  35. Bridges – taken from the Old English “brycg,” meaning “bridge” or “bridge-keeper.”
  36. Bruce – a famous Scottish/Celtic surname meaning “woods” or “thicket.”
  37. Atkinson – an ancient Irish patronymic surname meaning “son of Adam.”
  38. Velez – this gender-neutral Spanish name means “vigilant people.”
  39. Meza – a cool Spanish name meaning “dweller near a plateau.”
  40. Roy – a popular Irish, Welsh, and Scottish name meaning “red” and “king.”
  41. Vincent – derived from the Latin “vincere,” meaning “to conquer.”
  42. York – of Old English origin, meaning “boar or yew settlement.”
  43. Hodge – a German, English, and Irish moniker meaning “son of Roger” and “famous spear.”
  44. Villa – this Roman term describes a “country house or estate.”
  45. Abbott – a charming religious boy’s name meaning “father” and “priest.”
  46. Allison – of German descent, meaning “noble” and “exalted one.”
  47. Tapia – translating as “mud wall,” this Spanish name describes a “dweller in/behind a mud wall.”
  48. Gates – this British name describes a “dweller by the gates” or “a gatekeeper.”
  49. Chase – an Old English nickname of French origin given to people who “hunt.”
  50. Sosa – a gender-neutral Portuguese name meaning “salt water.”
  51. Sweeney – of Irish and Scottish descent, meaning “son of Suibhne” and “pleasant.”
  52. Farrell – from Gaelic/Irish royalty, meaning “man of valor” and “descendant of Fearghail.”
  53. Wyatt – derived from the Old English “wyot,” meaning “war strength” and “brave warrior.”
  54. Dalton – taken from the English “dæl” and “tūn,” meaning “valley town or settlement.”
  55. Horn – an English occupational name meaning “a horn player or maker.”
  56. Barron – this regal British name means “nobleman” and “warrior.”
  57. Phelps – a quirky British patronymic name meaning “son of Philip.”
  58. Yu – the perfect Chinese name for “brightly shining” kids.
  59. Dickerson – an engaging English patronymic name meaning “son of Diccon.”
  60. Heath – short for Heathcliffe, this British name means “land of heather and grass.”
  61. Foley – an unusual Irish name meaning “plunderer.”
  62. Atkins – this British version of the Hebrew Adam – means “earth.”
  63. Matthews – derived from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning “gift of God.”
  64. Bonilla – this positive Spanish name means “good child.”
  65. Acevedo – a popular Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese name meaning “grove of holly trees.”
  66. Benitez – a gender-neutral patronymic Spanish name meaning “son of Benito.”
  67. Zavala – another Spanish entry, meaning “fortress.”
  68. Hensley – a posh Thameside town in England – means “high meadow.”
  69. Glenn – is of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning “valley.”
  70. Cisneros – a Spanish town in the Palencia province, meaning “place of swans.”
  71. Harrell – an unusual Hebrew name meaning “God’s mount or mountain.”
  72. Shields – a name of Anglo-Celtic origin, meaning “sloth” or “sluggish.”
  73. Rubio – derived from the Latin “rubeus,” meaning “red,” describing someone with “red hair or beard.”
  74. Huffman – a cool Germanic name meaning “courtier, steward,” and “farmer.”
  75. Choi – a pretty Islamic boy’s name meaning “strange, wonderful,” and “curious.”
  76. Boyer – means “bow-maker or seller” in Old English and “size, stature, man, and soldier” in Turkish.
  77. Garrison – this British military term means “protection” and “stronghold.”
  78. Arroyo – this common Spanish place name means “water channel.”
  79. Bond – is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “bonda,” meaning “farmer.”
  80. Kane – means “little battler” in Irish and “man of the Eastern sky, golden/beautiful” in Hawaiian.
  81. Hancock – this quirky English name describes a “young lad strutting like a proud cock.”
  82. Callahan – is an upbeat Irish name meaning “bright-headed.”
  83. Dillon – this Irish name was first recorded in the 12th century – means “like a lion” and “loyal.”
  84. Cline – derived from the German “klein,” meaning “little one.”
  85. Wiggins – taken from the Breton name Wiucon, meaning “son of Wigand.”
  86. Grimes – one of a handful of Scandinavian entries – means “masked person” and “fierce.”
  87. Arellano – a rare Spanish habitational surname meaning “from the farm/estate of Aurelius.”
  88. Melton – is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “medeltone,” meaning “middle” and “between two places.”
  89. O’Neill – a stereotypical Irish surname meaning “descendant or son of Niall.”
  90. Savage – this Middle English and Old French name means “wild, untamed or uncouth person.”
  91. Ho – this typical Chinese name means “togetherness” and “harmonious.”
  92. Beltran – a Spanish variant of the German Bertrand, meaning “bright raven.”
  93. Pitts – of Middle English origin, meaning “dweller by the pits or hollows.”
  94. Parrish – derived from the Old French “paroisse,” meaning “ecclesiastical locality.”
  95. Ponce – named after the Greek god Puntus, meaning “the ocean” and “marine.”
  96. Rich – a short form of the English Richard, meaning “brave or wealthy ruler.”
  97. Booth – of English and Scottish origin, describing someone who lived in a “bothy or small cottage.”
  98. Koch – an interesting Middle High German and Jewish name meaning “cook.”
  99. Golden – derived from the Old English term “gyldan,” meaning “made of gold.”
  100. Ware – with several meanings, this Middle English name means “wary, wise, skillful,” and “cunning.”
  101. Brennan – this somber Irish name means “teardrop, sorrow,” and “raven.”
  102. McDowell – an Anglicized version of the Irish and Scottish name Mac Dubhghaill, meaning “son of Dubhghall.”
  103. Marks – a variant of the Roman Marcus, meaning “devotee of Mars.”
  104. Cantu – this Italian and Hispanic last name means “circular” and “rolling stone.”
  105. Humphrey – an old-school German name meaning “peaceful warrior.”
  106. Baxter – derived from the Middle English “bakstere,” meaning “baker.”
  107. Sawyer – this gender-neutral occupational English name for a “woodcutter” is cool.
  108. Clay – an American-sounding name from Old English, meaning “clay worker” and “immortal.”
  109. Tanner – an occupational English last name meaning “leather maker.”
  110. Hutchinson – a derivative of the French Huchon, meaning “Huchon’s son.”
  111. Kaur – this Sikh name means “prince” or “lioness.”
  112. Berg – a cute German family name meaning “mountain.”
  113. Wiley – derived from the Scottish “wylye,” meaning “resolute protection.”
  114. Gilmore – this Irish and Gaelic religious surname means “servant of the Virgin Mary.”
  115. Russo – from Southern Italy and Sicily, this nickname means “red hair, beard,” or “skin.”
  116. Villegas – many American last names are Spanish – means “from the village.”
  117. Hobbs – of German, Old Norse, and English origin, meaning “bright” and “famous.”
  118. Keith – this nature-inspired Scottish surname means “woodland” and “forest.”
  119. Wilkerson – a Middle English family name referring to the “son of Wilkins” or “young William.”
  120. Ahmed – a hugely popular Arabic name meaning “highly praised.”
  121. Beard – derived from the Middle English “berd,” meaning “bearded man.”
  122. McClain – this Scottish and Irish name means “son of the servant of Saint John.”
  123. Montes – a rugged Spanish and Portuguese name describing “a mountain dweller.”
  124. Mata – this Aramaic Spanish and Portuguese name means “lady or mistress of the house.”
  125. Rosario – derived from the Latin “rosarium,” meaning “rosary” and “rose garden.”
  126. Vang – this classic Chinese name means “king, strongest, great,” and “to reign over.”
  127. Walter – a robust German surname meaning “commander of the army.”
  128. Henson – a Middle English patronymic name meaning “son of Hend or Hendy.”
  129. O’Neal – one of a handful of stereotypical Irish names – means “son or descendant of Niall.”
  130. Mosley – of Old English origin, meaning “mouse” or “moss bog clearing.”
  131. McClure – this staple Scottish surname means “son of the pale one.”
  132. Beasley – derived from the Old English “bēos” and “leah,” meaning “bent grass” and “woodland clearing.”
  133. Stephenson – first recorded in the late 1200s, this Old English name means “son of Stephen.”
  134. Snow – this Old English nickname describes a “pale person” or “a person with white hair.”
  135. Huerta – derived from the Latin “hortus,” this Spanish name means “vegetable garden.”
  136. Preston – from the Old English “prēost” and “tūn,” meaning “priest’s town or settlement.”
  137. Vance – with links to Scotland and England, this modern-sounding name means “marshland.”
  138. Barry – an Anglicized version of the Irish Ó Beargha, meaning “descendant of Beargh.”
  139. Johns – first introduced after the Norman conquests, this English name means “Jehovah has favored.”
  140. Eaton – a classic English name meaning “riverside or island settlement.”
  141. Blackwell – of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning “dweller near a dark pool or stream.”
  142. Dyer – an English medieval name describing the occupation of “cloth dying.”
  143. Prince – derived from the Latin “princeps,” meaning “someone of regal stature.”
  144. Macdonald – of Scottish and Irish roots, meaning “descendant or son of Dómhnall.”
  145. Solomon – derived from the Hebrew “shalom,” meaning “peace.”
  146. Guevara – this Spanish/Basque name refers to a place in the province of Araba/Álava.
  147. Stafford – an ancient Anglo-Saxon name meaning “landing stage by the ford” (river crossing).
  148. English – an ethnic name characterizing someone with English ancestry; was popular immediately after the Norman conquest.
  149. Hurst – of Middle German and Swiss origin, meaning “woodland thicket.”
  150. Woodard – an occupational Old and Middle English name meaning “tending animals in pasture/woodland.”
  151. Cortes – this Spanish and Portuguese surname derives from “corte” and means “courteous and polite.”
  152. Shannon – derived from the Irish and Scottish “seanachaidh,” meaning “skilled storyteller.”
  153. Kemp – an Old English surname meaning “soldier.”
  154. Nolan – derived from the Irish “nuall,” meaning “noble” and “famous.”
  155. McCullogh – a distinct Irish/Gaelic surname meaning “son of Cullach.”
  156. Merritt – an unusual English baby name meaning “boundary gate.”
  157. Murillo – a Spanish habitational name referring to numerous places called Murillo – means “wall.”
  158. Moon – of Chinese and Asian origin, meaning “full” and “complete.”
  159. Salgado – a Latin-inspired Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning “salty” and “witty person.”
  160. Strong – derived from the Old English “strang,” meaning “strong and powerful.”
  161. Kline – this Slovenian name refers to a “dweller on a wedge-shaped piece of land.”
  162. Cordova – possibly named after the Spanish city Córdoba, with an uncertain meaning.
  163. Barajas – a habitational Spanish name referring to two places in the provinces of Cuenca and Madrid.
  164. Roach – derived from the Old French and Middle English “roche,” meaning “rock, cliff,” and “promontory.”
  165. Rosas – this Spanish name derives from the Latin Rosa, meaning “rose.”
  166. Winters – with Irish, Dutch, and German roots, this seasonal surname means “son of the lad of winter.”
  167. Jacobson – an English patronymic name meaning “son of Jacob.”
  168. Lester – this occupational Old English and Scottish surname means “one who makes shoemaker lasts (wooden molds).”
  169. Knox – a Scottish/Gaelic derivative of “cnoc,” meaning “hillock, hump,” and “round-topped hill.”
  170. Bullock – this Anglo-Saxon name stems from “bulluca,” and means “young bull.”
  171. Kerr – derived from the Old Norse “kjarr,” meaning “marsh dweller.”
  172. Leach – from the Middle English “leche (leech)” describing “bloodletting by physicians.”
  173. Meadows – a topographical/habitational English name meaning “dweller near a meadow or grassland.”
  174. Orr – derived from the Gaelic “odhar,” this Scottish and Irish name means “dark” and “pale.”
  175. Davila – a Spanish and Portuguese surname describing “someone from the village.”
  176. Whitehead – derived from the Old English “hwit” and “heafod,” meaning “person with white hair.”
  177. Pruitt – of Old French origin, meaning “brave little one.”
  178. Kent – from the Celtic “cant,” meaning “bordering a circle” and “edge.”
  179. Conway – this Welsh/Irish name means “holy river” and “hound of the plain.”
  180. McKee – a classic Scottish and Irish surname meaning “son of Aodh” and “fire.”
  181. Barr – a short and sweet Scottish/Irish family name meaning “height” and “hill.”
  182. David – of Hebrew origin and popular across the globe – means “beloved.”
  183. Dejesus – this surname is Spanish and Portuguese and widely used in Latin America – means “of Jesus.”
  184. Marin – a classic Roman surname derived from Marius, meaning “of the sea.”
  185. Berger – derived from the Old French “bergier,” meaning “shepherd.”
  186. McIntyre – popular in Scotland and Ireland, meaning “son of the craftsman or mason.”
  187. Blankenship – this medieval English name means “hill with a cairn (stone stack).”
  188. Gaines – a French/Norman family name referring to “clever or cunning people.”
  189. Palacios – this Spanish name is perfect for your princes and princesses – means “palace.”
  190. Cuevas – a popular Spanish place name which translates as “cave.”
  191. Bartlett – an English variant of Bartholemew, meaning “plowman” and “son of Talmai.”
  192. Durham – derived from the Old English “dun” and “holme,” meaning “island hill.”
  193. Dorsey – a respelling of the Irish Darcy – means “of Arcy, dark-haired,” and “descendant of the dark.”
  194. McCall – this popular Irish and Scottish name means “son of Cathal” and “powerful in battle.”
  195. O’Donnell – one of the most famous Irish names – means “descendant of Domhnall.”
  196. Stein – a common German surname meaning “rock” and “stone.”
  197. Browning – taken from the Middle English personal name Brouning, describing “a person with brown hair/skin.”
  198. Stout – an English name derived from the Old French “estolt,” meaning “bold, daring,” and “brave.”
  199. Lowery – this Irish surname means “descendants of Labhradha.”
  200. Sloane – one of many Irish entries – means “raider” and “warrior.”
  201. McLean – of Scottish and Gaelic origin, meaning “son of Gillean.”
  202. Hendricks – this Germanic name derives from Heimirich, meaning “ruler of the home.”
  203. Calhoun – a masculine Scottish and Irish surname meaning “narrow woods” and “war hound.”
  204. Sexton – derived from the Middle English “sexteyn,” meaning “churchwarden” and “officer of the church.”
  205. Chung – this Chinese name has multiple meanings: “open up, to spread, classifier,” and “sheet.”
  206. Gentry – a rare British name meaning “gentle, good breeding,” and “high social position.”
  207. Hull – derived from the Old English “hyll,” meaning “dweller on or by the hill.”
  208. Duarte – this Portuguese family name is an alternative to Edward and means “wealthy guardian.”
  209. Ellison – is a modern-sounding English name describing the “son of Ellis.”
  210. Nielsen – a Danish version of the Greek Nicholas, meaning “son of Niels.”
  211. Gillespie – an Anglicized version of the Gaelic Gille Easbaig, meaning “bishop’s servant.”
  212. Buck – an Old English last name meaning “male goat or deer.”
  213. Middleton – this English place name describes “a town/farmstead in the middle of two settlements.”
  214. Sellers – an English family name describing “a merchant, a cellar worker,” or “a saddler.”
  215. Le Blanc – this French surname describes someone “with blond hair” or “pale skin.”
  216. Esparza – an occupational Spanish/Basque surname describing a “swordsman” or “soldier.”
  217. Hardin – derived from the French “hardouin,” meaning “hard” and “strong.”
  218. Bradshaw – taken from the Old English Bradeshaghe, meaning “broad wood or copse.”
  219. McIntosh – from the Scottish Mac an Toisich, meaning “son of the chief.”
  220. Howe – derived from the Old Norse “haugr,” meaning “hill, knoll, mound,” or “barrow.”
  221. Livingston – a Scottish place name derived from the Middle English “leving” and “tun,” meaning “Leving’s settlement.”
  222. Frost – this ancient English nickname describes “someone with white hair or a white beard.”
  223. Glass – an English and German occupational name for “a glazier or glass blower.”
  224. Morse – derives from the Old French Maur, from the Latin Mauritius, meaning “moorish” and “dark.”
  225. Knapp – a German status name for a “young unmarried man.”
  226. Herman – a variation of the English Herniman, meaning “dweller in a nook or corner of land.”
  227. Stark – a mixture of German and English, meaning “powerful” and “strong.”
  228. Bravo – of Italian and Spanish origin, meaning “good, skillful, courageous,” and “wild.”
  229. Noble – of English, Scottish, and French descent, meaning “high-born, distinguished,” and “illustrious.”
  230. Spears – a Middle English derivative of “spere,” meaning “maker or user of spears.”
  231. Weeks – this Old English name means “battle and war” or “small, outlying village.”
  232. Corona – of Spanish and Italian origin, meaning “crown.”
  233. Frederick – comprised of “fred” and “ric;” this Germanic name means “peace and power.”
  234. Buckley – a cool Irish patronymic name meaning “descendant of Buachaill.”
  235. McFarland – taken from the Gaelic Mac Pharlain, meaning “son of Parlan.”
  236. Hebert – of German, English, and French origin, meaning “army, bright,” and “famous.”
  237. Enriquez – a trendy patronymic Spanish name meaning “son of Enrique.”
  238. Hickman – this long-established Irish surname means “servant of Hike or Hitch.”
  239. Quintero – this unusual numerical Spanish name is ideal for a child born on the “fifth.”
  240. Randolph – this classy Old English and German name means “wolf shield.”
  241. Schaefer – a Middle/High German occupational name meaning “shepherd.”
  242. Walls – derived from the Old English “weall,” meaning “a dweller near a stone wall or rampart.”
  243. Trejo – this Spanish habitational name describes “a town in Cádiz.”
  244. House – an occupational and topographical Old English name for “a worker at the big house.”
  245. Reilly – a popular Irish genderless name meaning “courageous” and “valiant.”
  246. Pennington – derived from the Old English “pening” and “tūn,” meaning “penny farmstead or settlement.”
  247. Michael – a classic Hebrew name meaning “who is like God?”
  248. Conrad – derived from the Old High German “kuoni” and “rāt,” meaning “brave counsel.”
  249. Giles – this ancient surname derives from the Greek “aigis,” meaning “protection, kid,” and “young goat.”
  250. Benjamin – from the book of Genesis, this Hebrew name means “son of the right hand.”
  251. Crosby – associated with Bing Crosby, this Scandinavian name means “at the cross.”
  252. Fitzpatrick – an Anglo-Norman patronymic name meaning “son of Patrick.”
  253. Donovan – an Anglicized version of the Irish Ó Donnbubháin, meaning “descendant of Donndubhán.”
  254. Mays – of British origin, meaning “servant or son of Matthew.”
  255. Mahoney – this Irish name stems from the Munster region and means “good calf.”
  256. Valentine – derived from the Latin/Roman Valentinus, meaning “strong” and “healthy.”
  257. Raymond – from the Norman/French Raimund, meaning “counsel protection” and “famous.”
  258. Medrano – of Spanish and Basque origin, meaning “abundance.”
  259. Hahn – from the Middle/High German “hane,” meaning “cockerel.”
  260. McMillan – this Scottish patronymic name means “son of the tonsure” (bald priest’s head).
  261. Small – of English, Scottish, and Old Norse origin, meaning “narrow” and “thin.”
  262. Bentley – this Old English name means “meadow with bent or coarse grass.”
  263. Felix – a mixture of Portuguese, German, English, and Jewish, meaning “happy, lucky,” and “fortunate.”
  264. Peck – this English and Welsh name means “dweller at the foot of a peak.”
  265. Lucero – a Spanish celestial name meaning “light, morning star,” and “evening star.”
  266. Boyle – a well-loved Irish name meaning “pledge, vain pledge,” or “profitable pledges.”
  267. Hanna – an alternate spelling of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning “favor, grace,” and “God has favored me.”
  268. Pace – this unique English and Italian name means “peace” and “peaceful one.”
  269. Rush – from the Old English “risc,” meaning “a rushy place” or “weaver of mats and baskets.”
  270. Hurley – derived from the Old English “hyrne” and “leah,” meaning “corner woodland clearing.”
  271. Harding – this Old English name means “hard one.”
  272. McConnell – of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning “son or descendant of Connall.”
  273. Bernal – an Old German family name meaning “strength of a bear.”
  274. Nava – this Spanish moniker refers to many place names and means “beauty.”
  275. Ayers – from the Latin “heres,” meaning “the son or servant of the heir.”
  276. Everett – this German name derives from Everard and means “strong boar.”
  277. Ventura – of Italian, Spanish/Catalan and Portuguese origin, meaning “good fortune.”
  278. Avery – with Anglo-Saxon and Germanic roots, this baby name means “ruler of elves.”
  279. Pugh – from the Welsh ap Huw, meaning “son of Hugh.”
  280. Mayer – means “farmer,” “bright,” and “greater” in Hebrew and Latin, and “mayor” in German.
  281. Bender – an occupational German name referring to “a cooper” or “bow-maker.”
  282. Shepard – an occupational Old English name meaning “watcher and carer of sheep.”
  283. McMahon – derived from the Irish name Mac Mathghamhna, meaning “son of the bear.”
  284. Landry – of Germanic origin, derived from Landrick, meaning “land or country” and “powerful.”
  285. Case – this Old English occupational name describes a “case-maker.”
  286. Sampson – an alternative of the Hebrew Samson, meaning “sun.”
  287. Moses – this classic biblical Hebrew Name means “conceived by a certain god.”
  288. Magana – refers to two Spanish villages of the same name – means “from Magana.”
  289. Blackburn – this well-known English town’s name refers to a “black or dark stream.”
  290. Dunlap – first used in the 13th century, this Gaelic name means “fort of the bend.”
  291. Gould – became a surname in the Middle Ages – means “son of gold” in Old English.
  292. Duffy – of Irish origin, meaning “descendant of Dubthach.”
  293. Vaughan – derived from the Welsh “bychan,” meaning “small.”
  294. Herring – of Dutch and German origin, meaning “seller, eater, or catcher of herring.”
  295. Mckay – means “son of Aodh” and “happy or rejoicing” in “Scottish.
  296. Espinosa – a cool Spanish family name meaning “from the thorny place.”
  297. Rivers – a British surname derived from the Latin “ripa,” meaning “riverbank.”
  298. Farley – an Irish topographical name referring to a “fern meadow.”
  299. Bernard – a mighty German and French family name meaning “strong” and “brave bear.”
  300. Ashley – an Anglo-Saxon name meaning “dweller near the ash-tree meadow.”
  301. Friedman – of German/Swiss and Jewish origin, meaning “peace” and “man.”
  302. Potts – an Old English surname meaning “circular hollow in the ground.”
  303. Truong – this edgy Vietnamese name means “drawing a bow, archer,” and “bowyer.”
  304. Costa – a common Latin name meaning “steadfast” and “constant.”
  305. Correa – this Spanish name derives from the Latin “corrigia,” meaning “leather strap” and “shoelace.”
  306. Blevins – an Anglicized version of the Welsh ap Bleddyn, meaning “wolf cub.”
  307. Nixon – an English, Irish, and Scottish name meaning “son of Nicholas.”
  308. Clements – derived from the Latin Clemens, meaning “merciful and mild.”
  309. Fry – this Middle English surname of Old Norse origin, means “free.”
  310. Delarosa – a Spanish family name that translates as “of the rose.”
  311. Best – derived from the Anglo-Norman “beste,” meaning “the beast.”
  312. Benton – with roots across the British Isles, meaning “town or settlement of bent grass.”
  313. Lugo – means “grove or wood of Augustus” in Latin/Roman and “from Lugo city” in Spanish.
  314. Portillo – from the Latin “portus,” this Spanish name translates as “small port.”
  315. Dougherty – closely linked to the Irish Doherty – means “harmful.”
  316. Crane – from the Old English “clon,” meaning “crane” (the bird), describing a “tall, thin man.”
  317. Haley – stems from the Old English “heg” and “leah,” meaning “hay meadow.”
  318. Phan – a classic Chinese name meaning “fence, hedge, barrier,” and “state.”
  319. Villalobos – a common Italian, Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese name meaning “town of wolves.”
  320. Blanchard – derived from the Old French “blanchart,” meaning “whitish, bordering on white.”
  321. Horne – an English, Dutch, German, and Scottish name given to several farmsteads.
  322. Finley – of Irish descent, meaning “fair-haired courageous one.”
  323. Quintana – a habitational Spanish name describing a “country house” and “fifth.”
  324. Lynn – a French nature-inspired name meaning “waterfall” and “living near a lake.”
  325. Esquivel – this Spanish name derives from the Basque Ezkibel, meaning “the house behind the lime trees.”
  326. Bean – from the Middle English “bēne,” meaning “grower or seller of beans” and “a pleasant person.”
  327. Dodson – of Old English origin, meaning “son of Dodd.”
  328. Mullen – of Irish descent, meaning “descendant of Maolán” and “tonsured one” (a priest’s bald head).
  329. Xiong – a historical name from the royal family of Chu – means “bear” in Chinese.
  330. Hayden – an Old English name meaning “hay field.”
  331. Cano – this Spanish and Portuguese name describes a “premature head of white hair.”
  332. Levy – a biblical Hebrew name meaning “joined, united,” and “joined in harmony.”
  333. Huber – of German descent, meaning “hide” or “unit of land that grants farmers free tenant status.”
  334. Richmond – this German name means “rich hill” and “powerful protector.”
  335. Moyer – a derivative of the French “moie” and Dutch “Maaijer,” meaning “mower or reaper.”
  336. Lim – a cool Chinese name meaning “woods” and “forest.”
  337. Frye – an alternate spelling of the Old Norse/English Fry – means “free” or “seedling.”
  338. Sheppard – a variation of the Old English “sceaphierde,” meaning “sheep herder.”
  339. McCarty – this Irish name is popular in Cork – means “son of Cárthach.”
  340. Avalos – a habitational Spanish name for “someone from Ábalos.”
  341. Booker – an occupational English name meaning “bookbinder, book-maker” or “scribe.”
  342. Waller – an occupational Middle English name for a “builder of walls” or “dweller near a wall.”
  343. Parra – a Spanish and Portuguese name inspired by Hebrew, meaning “grapevine” or “trellis.”
  344. Woodward – an occupational Middle English name for a “protector/guardian of the forest and animals.”
  345. Jaramillo – an unusual Spanish habitational name meaning “of the jaramango tree.”
  346. Krueger – means “tavern keeper” in Low German and “potter” in Central and Upper German.
  347. Rasmussen – this Scandinavian name means “son of Rasmus.”
  348. Brandt – a powerful Norse name meaning “fiery torch or sword.”
  349. Peralta – this Spanish name is of Latin origin and means “tall or big” and “rock.”
  350. Donaldson – an Irish and Scottish patronymic name meaning “son of Donald.”
  351. Stuart – this English, Scottish, and French name means “steward.”
  352. Faulkner – from the Middle English “fauconor,” meaning “falconer.”
  353. Maynard – a masculine German family name meaning “brave and hard strength.”
  354. Galindo – of Spanish origin, meaning “a small lance” and “disused and twisted.”
  355. Coffey – this unique Irish name means “victorious.”
  356. Estes – from the Latin “aestus,” this English name means “from the East.”
  357. Sanford – of Old English origin, meaning “sandy ford” (shallow river crossing).
  358. Burch – an Anglo-Saxon habitational name meaning “dweller by the birch tree.”
  359. Maddox – this modern spelling of Maddocks is Welsh and means “son of Madoc.”
  360. Vo – this popular Chinese/American name means “together and harmonious.”
  361. O’Connell – derived from the Irish/Gaelic name O’Connaill, meaning “strong as a wolf.”
  362. Vu – a dark Vietnamese name meaning “witch, shaman,” and “wizard.”
  363. Andersen – this Danish-Norwegian family name derives from the Greek Andreas – means “son of Anders.”
  364. Spence – an Anglo-Celtic occupational name meaning “house steward.”
  365. McPherson – this Anglicized Scottish name means “son of the parson.”
  366. Church – from the Old English “cyrice,” meaning “dweller near a church.”
  367. Schmitt – this German equivalent of Smith means “blacksmith” or “metal worker.”
  368. Stanton – derived from the Old English “stan,” meaning “stone” and “tun,” meaning “settlement or enclosure.”
  369. Leal – this quirky Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin name means “loyal” and “faithful.”
  370. Cherry – an English and Scottish name describing a “seller or grower of cherries.”
  371. Compton – this Old English habitational name means “short or straight valley” and “enclosure or settlement.”
  372. Dudley – a habitational name describing “Dudda’s woodland clearing.”
  373. Sierra – a cool Spanish name meaning “mountain range.”
  374. Pollard – this Middle English nickname possibly means “to clip” or “the head.”
  375. Alfaro – comprised of the Arabic “al” and Old Spanish “faro,” meaning “the beacon lighthouse.”
  376. Hester – another habitational Low, Middle, and High German name meaning “by a conspicuous beech tree.”
  377. Proctor – this English name derives from the Latin “procurare,” meaning “to manage” and “steward.”
  378. Lu – a traditional Mandarin Chinese name meaning “road.”
  379. Hinton – from the Old English “hīna/hīwan,” meaning “household or religious community” and “farmstead/settlement.”
  380. Novak – a Slavic name describing a “newcomer” or “someone new.”
  381. Good – from the Middle English gode (“good”), or referring to God, describing someone showing kindness.
  382. Madden – from the Irish “madra,” meaning “little dog.”
  383. McCann – this Irish patronymic name means “son of Caba.”
  384. Terrell – first introduced after the Norman invasion in 1066, this French surname means “stubborn.”
  385. Jarvis – derived from the Old French Gervaise, meaning “spear.”
  386. Dickson – a middle English name originally spelled Dicson, meaning “Dick’s son” or “son of Richard.”
  387. Reyna – of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin “regis,” meaning “royal.”
  388. Cantrell – from the Old French “chanterelles,” meaning “small bell” and “trebles” describing a bell ringer.
  389. Mayo – a Spanish name from the French Maheu, bestowed on those “born or baptized in May.”
  390. Branch – this topographic nickname derives from “braunch” and means “dweller in a wooded place.”
  391. Hendrix – similar to Hendricks, derived from the German Heinrich, meaning “ruler of the home.”
  392. Rollins – a masculine family name of German origin, meaning “renowned land.”
  393. Rowland – this Middle English moniker derives from the German Hrodland, meaning “glory land.”
  394. Whitney – a gender-neutral Old English name meaning “white island.”
  395. Duke – originally recorded as “le Duc,” this Anglo-Norman surname means “son of Duke” and “leader.”
  396. Odom – a common habitational name from the Old English “āthum,” meaning “son or brother-in-law.”
  397. Daugherty – with 9th-century roots, this Irish family name means “hurtful or obstructive.”
  398. Travis – stems from the French and Middle English “travers,” describing a “toll to cross a boundary.”
  399. Tang – of Chinese origin describing a “soup” or “hot water.”
  400. Archer – an occupational Anglo-Norman name meaning “bowman.”

American Last Names FAQs

What Is the Rarest Last Name In the U.S.?

The rarest U.S. last names, according to the 2020 census, are Afify, Allaband, Armspoker, Ardolf, and Atonal. Other examples include Beischel, Bidelspach, and Banasiewicz.

What Are Some Unique American Last Names?

Some of the most unique American last names include Odom, Sierra, Bravo, Stark, and Boon. Other examples, like Tang, Lu, Vu, and Vo, are unique in the U.S. but common in Vietnam and China.

What Is the Most American Last Name?

The most American last name is Smith, followed by Johnson, Williams, and Brown. Other ultra-American family names include Jones, Davis, Miller, and Wilson.

What Are Some Powerful Last Names?

The most powerful last names include Noble, Randolph, Richmond, Kennedy, Clinton, and Bush. Many U.S. presidential last names are associated with power and strength, like Nixon, Lincoln, Hoover, and Truman.

What Are Some Old Last Names?

The oldest last names to feature in the top 1,000 last names include Benjamin, Johns, Jacobs, Archer, and York. Other examples like Barron, Owen, Duke, and Prince come from ancient royal houses across the globe.

What Is the Longest American Last Name?

The longest American surname recorded belonged to German-born American Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr, the abbreviated version. Hubert’s full name consisted of 27 first and middle names and a 988-letter surname that was almost impossible to pronounce.

What Are Popular 70s Surnames?

Many popular 70s American surnames are similar to the top last names today, including Jones, Smith, Brown, Wilson, and Johnson.

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About the Author

Mark Weir

Mark has always been fascinated by the stories behind names, their meanings, and the rich histories they carry. It's a curiosity that has grown into a full-fledged passion project, engaging him in the study of how names shape our identities and reflect our cultures. Since stepping away from his previous career, Mark has delved deeper into this fascinating realm. He spends his days unraveling these narratives and sharing his findings on Honey Name. He does all this amidst the tranquility of England's rivers and canals from his charming widebeam barge. His constant companions on this journey are his wife, Julie, and their adorable King Charles Cavalier, Eric.