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A surname is usually a person鈥檚 family name or the last name of a person. Because the majority of Americans have European ancestry, most of the popular surnames used in the United States have origins traced in Europe with African Americans using the surnames they acquired during the slavery era.

The 25 Most Popular Last Names in the United States

Smith

According to census records going back to the turn of the 20th century, 鈥淪mith鈥� is the most popular name in the US. The 2000 census puts the number of people having 鈥淪mith鈥� as their surname at 2,376,206. The name鈥檚 origin is traced to England where it is also the most common surname and is derived from an Old English term 鈥渟mib鈥� which means 鈥渙ne who works in metal.鈥� The name is predominantly used by Americans of Scottish, Irish, and English descent but it is also common among African-Americans who were forced to adopt the name during the slavery era.

Johnson

Johnson is the second-most popular surname in the US since 1900. The name is a combination of the word 鈥渟on鈥� and the name 鈥淛ohn鈥� and can mean 鈥淪on of John.鈥� The name鈥檚 origin is traced to Scandinavia as well as England and is most prevalent in Americans of Scandinavian and English heritage. The name also exists in several variations including 鈥淛onson,鈥� 鈥淛onson鈥� and 鈥淛ohansson.鈥� Several famous people have 鈥淛ohnson鈥� as their surname including the 17th US President, Andrew Johnson and famous actor, Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson.

Williams

Williams is a surname commonly used by Americans and is the third-most popular surname in the US since 1900. The name 鈥淲illiams鈥� is a variation of the name William and can mean 鈥渄escendant of William.鈥� The origin of the name is traced to Wales and England where it is also quite popular, being the third-most popular surname in Wales. The earliest documented use of the name was in its variation 鈥淲illiams鈥� in Staffordshire in 1307.

Jones

The fourth most common surname in the United States is Jones. The name 鈥淛ones鈥� is a variation of 鈥淛ohnson鈥� and means 鈥渄escendant or offspring of John鈥� The name鈥檚 origin is traced to the United Kingdom in medieval Wales, Scotland, and England. The first record of the existence of the name was in 1273 in a person named 鈥淢atilda Jones.鈥� The name is predominantly used by Americans of Caucasian heritage with the 2000 census establishing that 57.7% of the white race used 鈥淛ones鈥� as a surname. The 2000 census also showed that the name is popular in African-Americans with 37.7% of Black Americans using 鈥淛ones鈥� as the surname. Many influential people have used the surname 鈥淛ones鈥� including the 1991-1995 Governor of Kentucky, Brereton Jones.

Brown

Another popular surname in the United States is Brown. The name鈥檚 origin is traced to England where it was used as a descriptive term for people with brown features (complexion, hair color or color of clothing). The name is the fifth most popular surname in the United States since the turn of the 20th century. Several influential Americans bear Brown as their surname including the current Oregon Governor, Kate Brown as well as the only African-American Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown.

Controversy

The United States had a very dark period in its history when slavery was occurring and the extermination of Native Americans was encouraged. This period saw the two oppressed races being forced to drop their ancestral names and adopt European surnames.