Few scholars argue that passing down a fathers last name is wrong for any given family, but the aggregate statistics point to an enduring patriarchal culture. Cases of women passing their name to their children nearly evaporated by the turn of the 19th century. ThoughtCo. #80 RICHARDSON Son of Richard. Literally means from the wood grove of Augustus. Your last name can give you clues into who you are and where you came from. #136 MURRAY Scottish place name from the area of Moray, meaning seaboard settlement. #639 MEZA Lives in or near a mesa, plateau. How Marriage . Literally means wild olives. #400 HIGGINS From the Irish surname Huiginn meaning descendant of Uigin (Viking). #821 LIVINGSTON From the town founded by Leving (given name). #681 HANCOCK Son of John. #865 LUCERO Light or evening star. #719 WILKERSON Kin or son of William. #397 SIMON One who harkens. #998 TRAVIS Occupational surname for someone who collected a tax or toll at a crossing. Catholic Baby Names It is an eternal promise that we, who, through our concupiscence, are so often wicked, can still be saved, no matter what we have done or how many times we have done it, by turning away from it . #505 FLOYD From the Welsh Lloyd or Llwyd, meaning grey. Source: Census Bureau, 2010 U.S. Census (latest update in U.S. Census Bureau Frequently Occurring Surnames). #402 LIN Chines surname meaning from the forest. #574 ROTH German surname meaning red, used for a person with red hair. Literally means Forest land. #368 MILES Son of Mile. #411 LIU Chinese surnmae meaning to kill, destroy. #12 LOPEZ Son of Lope/Lobe, meaning wolf. #609 COPELAND Bought land. #351 COHEN Occupational Hebrew surname for a priest. #645 ABBOTT Occupational surname for someone employed by or who served as an abbott. #17 TAYLOR From the family of the tailor. #6 GARCIA - Of unknown meaning. #915 DOUGHERTY From the Gaelic surname ODochartaigh, meaning descendent of the hurtful one. #695 PONCE Derived from the name Pontius, from the Greek pontos meaning ocean. #774 ORR Lives near a slope or shore. What are Ancestry DNA Genetic Communities? #693 PITTS Lives near a hollow or pit. #4 BROWN Surname from a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair. #259 LYNCH Anglicized version of the Irish surname Loingsigh, meaning descendant of the mariner. #550 BARRERA Family that lived near muddy area or ground of clay. As they opt for an array of surnames, hyphenated or otherwise, they might shift the countrys norms too. #860 McMILLAN From the Gaelic surname Macghillemhaoil, meaning son of the monks servant. The most recent statistics we have for the Catholic surname is from the 2010 census data. #39 HILL Family who lived near or on a hill. How to name ones family should be a choice for each couple. #669 GLENN Lives in or near a valley. #684 CLINE From the German klein meaning little, small. #263 MONTGOMERY From a mountain name in France. #134 AGUILAR From a place name, meaning Eagle. Tue Oct 25 2016 - 15:19. #108 BUTLER Occupational surname for a butler/wine steward. Hawley Presses Garland on FBI Memo Targeting Catholics #426 RIVAS From the sea side or river bank. Edel Quinn), Reese (for any of the Sts. 17. #532 McCORMICK Son of Cormac. #104 RUSSELL Little Red one. #982 MADDEN From the Irish surname OMadain, meaning descendant of the son of the hound. #588 UNDERWOOD Literally means below the trees of a forest, and could be a habitational surname. #770 BULLOCK From the English word bullock meaning young steer. #187 DANIELS Family of Daniel. From Scottish settlers to Portuguese migrants, America is full of diversity including in terms of names. Here are the top 1000 last names (surnames) in the United States, according to the most recent U.S. census. Infoplease is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational and reference sites for parents, teachers and students. #561 LAMB Occupational surname for a herder of sheep. Names today no longer denote a profession, hometown, or mark of ownership; instead, they reflect what a family values. #811 GILLESPIE From the Gaelic Mac giolla Easpuig, meaning son of the bishops servant. For example, the actor Salma Hayek was born Salma Hayek Jimnez; her parents are named Sami Hayek Domnguez and Diana Jimnez Medina. #995 DUKE Leader (of an army or troops). #680 KANE From the town of Caen, in Normandy, France. #883 McMAHON From the Gaelic surname Mac Mathghamha, which means son of the Bear. #416 BLAIR Battlefield. #788 GAINES Nickname surname for someone who was very clever. Margaret Mary Healy Murphy (1833-1907), American Catholic nun; Mary Murphy (disambiguation), multiple . #841 SCHAEFER German occupational surname from the word schfer which means shepherd. #731 McCLURE From the Gaelic surname MIlluidhir, which literally translates as Son of Ordars follower. #985 JARVIS From the given name Gervase meaning spear or spear/valley. #521 McGUIRE From the Irish surname Mag Uidhir meaning son of Odhar which literally means pale-complected. For example, during the period before the American Civil War when slave-owning was legal, many indentured people were forced to take on the names of those who purchased them, such as Roberts, Jacobs, or even last names that denoted skin color (like White, Black, or Brown). #898 FARLEY Habitational surname for one who is from any of the many English towns called Farley or Farleigh. #287 MARQUEZ Son of Marco. #123 WALLACE Welsh or Foreigner. McLoughlin 22. #296 BOWMAN Occupational surname for an archer. Most likely an occupational surname for someone who made axes or used them (like a lumberjack). #564 HESS Person with hood/helmet. #79 WARD Guardian #395 BALDWIN Brave friend. #236 CHAPMAN Occupational surname meaning tradesperson or merchant. #166 MASON Occupational surname for a bricklayer. #406 BARBER Occupational surname for a barber. Literally Priests Town. #581 SHORT Nickname for a short person. #365 BENSON Son of Benjamin. #449 ADKINS Family or son of Adam. Salazar literally translates to old hall. #367 HORTON From the farm on muddy soil. 50 Most Common Last Names in America (Update for 2023), Population of the United States by Race and Hispanic/Latino Origin, Extreme Points of the United States (States & Territories). #889 BLACKBURN Lives near the dark colored stream. #486 GALLEGOS Foreigners. #708 CLAY Occupational or habitational surname for someone who worked with clay or lived on clay land. Slideshow. #625 MATHIS Family of Matthew. Might go back to meaning campers on the river Legra. #977 PROCTOR Occupational surname for a proctor/manager/attorney. #492 LOGAN From the Irish surname OLeoghain, meaning descendant of the warrior. Kentucky was populated largely by settlers from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. #802 HENDRICKS Family of Hendrick/Heinrich. Anthony has researched court cases in which couples battle over who has the right to pass down the surname to their kids. Passing on a double last name the way my culture does, it was just going to be an administrative headache for my kids, she said. Surname List - Records Search - German Genealogy Group #537 MARSH Family who lived near the marshland. (Double-barrel surnames can also retain patrilineal lineages of their own; Spain required that the fathers last name be listed firstand therefore be the next name that gets passed downuntil the laws started to change in 2000.) #307 NEWMAN Stranger, newcomer. With a 14-day free trial, it's very easy to get started and discover your past! #243 WHEELER Occupational surname for a person who made wagon wheels. #502 OSBORNE Viking name, literally meaning Bear God The Catholic surname appeared 100 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0.03 would have the surname Catholic. #797 BROWNING Descriptive surname from the Olde English brun meaning someone with brown hair or skin. #305 HOLLAND From the Netherlands/Holland. What Kinds of Clothes Do They Wear in Ireland? #533 SPARKS Originally a Norse nickname given to someone with dynamic character, full of life. #257 JACOBS Family of Jacobs #268 GILBERT Bright Pledge. #267 WILLIAMSON Son of William #823 GLASS Occupational surname for a glass blower. Search for a specific ancestor in FamilySearch. #117 PATTERSON Son of Patrick. #523 MUELLER German occupational surname for a miller or one who works in a mill. 18. #612 HUFF Lives by a ridge or hollow. Common Surnames in the United States 1990 - Behind the Name Did you find your last name on any of these lists? Gharibian - The meaning of this Armenian patronymic name is "son of Gharib." "Gharib" is a Turkish word that means "stranger" or "impoverished person.". #439 McGEE Gaelic surname meaning Son of Aodh, meaning fire. #474 WOLF Son of Wolfgang. Even in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, patrilineal surnames are a surprisingly new convention. ETHNONYMS: Afro-French, Black Creoles, Black French, Creoles, Cr oles, Cr oles Noirs, Creoles of Color. NameCensus.com. From Ceallaigh. #321 STANLEY Lives near the stone clearing. #218 ANDREWS Family of Andrew. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., seen here on Aug. 3, pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday on how many informants the FBI has in Catholic churches. #754 NOLAN From the Gaelic surname ONullain, meaning son or descendent of the Kings herald. 100 Most Common US Surnames Origins and Meanings - ThoughtCo However, they eventually began using their given names as surnames after failing to fend off American colonizers in the 20th century. #300 MEJIA Unknown meaning, might be a religious surname referring to the Messiah. #362 HALE From the remote valley. Wassa was a feminine Anglo-Saxon given name. #774 DAVILA From the village. #137 FORD Lives by a shallow place in the river. 10 Irish American Surnames Explained - Ancestry Blog #390 (73,522) Of Anglo-Norman French origin, this patronymic means "son of Gerald.". #813 MIDDLETON From anyone of the places named Middleton in the UK, literally meaning the middle town. Begin learning more about yourself and your heritage. #887 MOSES Born of a god. Cassia. #284 WELCH From the same root as Welsh, meaning foreigner. If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. #603 MELENDEZ Visigoth surname meaning Entire Gift. #976 HESTER Either lives by the beech tree, or an occupational surname for a herald/town crier. ), This problem was apparently widespread enough that, in 2019, New York State passed a law to allow residents to choose two last names separated by a space. #911 BEST Occupational surname for someone who was a cattle-herder or dealer. Audie Murphy (1925-1971), American war hero and actor; Austin J. Murphy (born 1927), Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania; . #986 DICKSON Son of Richard. Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about. If you are curious about your own name, visit Family Name Search to discover the meanings and origins of last names. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/most-common-us-surnames-1422656. #870 HURLEY From the village on cleared land. #593 CARSON Probably a form of Karsten, or a created name meaning Son of Carr/Kerr. #72 BAILEY Occupational surname for a bailiff. #808 DUARTE A prosperous guardian. #428 RODGERS Family of Roger. TOP 100 IRISH SURNAMES / LAST NAMES (info & facts) - Ireland Before You Die Even if patrilineal surnaming does begin to lose some of its hold over the U.S., a single, perfectly equitable standard for surnaming is hard to imagine. I think you can say with a very high degree of confidence that unmarried parents are less likely to pass down the fathers last name, Emily Shafer, a sociologist at Portland State University, told me. the first daughter, after the father's mother. #601 CAREY Welsh surname meaning from the fort on the hill. 100 Common Polish Last Names Or Surnames With Meanings - MomJunction Burke 30. Plenty of womenand men, for that mattermight choose not to give their last name to their kids if its bundled up in familial trauma. #495 NORMAN From the northern region of France. #623 KIRK Literally means church and could be a habitational surname for someone who lived near a church or occupational for someone who worked in a church, like a pastor. #475 VALENCIA From Valencia, Spain. #174 BLACK Person who is darker in complexion. I am a retired Registered Investment Advisor with 12 years experience as head of an investment management firm. #229 CONTRERAS From the town of Contreras, Spain. #663 MATHEWS Family of Matthew. #979 HINTON From the high enclosure/settlement. #13 GONZALEZ Son of Gonzalo. #208 BRADLEY From the broad meadow. 1408 Sqft. #966 CHURCH Someone who worked in a church or lived near a church. #703 MARKS Family of Mark or Marcus. #454 GOODWIN Good friend. Means valor, courage. Sin, hell and scrupulosity: How to repent during Lent (and how not to #673 RUBIO Red-headed or someone with a ruddy complexion. #437 McLAUGHLIN Son of Lochlann, meaning lake land. "Top 100 Most Common Last Names in the United States." Smith seems to be at the top of the list of the whitest names, followed by Johnson, Miller, Brown, Jones and Williams. It means "bright or fair," and its variations are Claire and Clara. #192 WEAVER Occupational surname for a weaver of cloth. #84 WOOD Lives in or near the woods. Some new demographics of American families, however, approach their names differently. #730 MOSLEY Habitational surname for a family that came from any number of towns named Mosley in the U.K. #920 BLANCHARD With white hair or pale complexion. #64 MURPHY Irish surname meaning Descendant of Murchadh. #851 CROSBY Lives by the cross or crossing. #340 CARRILLO Spanish surname, literally means cheek. From cart/wagon, so it may be occupational. #407 BOWEN Welsh surname meaning Son of Owain. #678 ARROYO Habitational surname from any of numerous places named Arroyo, literally meaning water channel or irrigation channel. #867 HANNA From the Gaelic Ohannaigh, meaning descendant of Annach literally meaning iniquity. Literally means high rock. #792 DURHAM Habitational surname for a family from Durham, U.K. literally meaning by the hill. #456 HUANG Chinese surname that means bright or yellow. #360 BARKER Occupational surname for someone who either tanned leather (from the bark of a tree), or from the Old French Berchier, which was a shepherd. #817 HARDIN Habitational surname for families from any number of towns in England named Harden/Hardin. #238 ESTRADA Literally means street or way #100 JIMENEZ Son of Jim/James. Popular Indian Christian Surnames Or Last Names 1. 10. Literally means Son of bringer of wisdom. #952 FAULKNER Occupational surname for a falconer or someone who trained hawks/falcons. Native America Collections - Marquette University #382 FLETCHER Folk army. (Neither the New Hampshire, New York, nor Texas DMVs responded to a request for comment.). Courteous. #331 BYRD Occupational surname for someone who worked with birds. Literally translates to the willow woods. #602 WILCOX Son of William. Murray 19. Literally means yew tree. #312 SCHNEIDER Occupational surname for a tailor. #210 ELLIOTT Family of Elias. #824 MORSE Family of Maurice. #685 WIGGINS Son of the high noble or warrior. #868 PACE The peaceful one. Powell, Kimberly. #834 BUCKLEY Lives near the goat clearing. #997 DAUGHERTY From the Gaelic surname ODochartaigh, meaning descendent of the hurtful one. #526 KRAMER Occupational surname for a merchant or shopkeeper. #806 GENTRY Born of high status. #63 MORALES By the mulberry tree #922 FINLEY From the Gaelic surname Fionlagh, meaning fair hero. Some Cordilleran surnames that came from given names are Tayaban, Dulnuan, Pinkihan, and Tuguinay. #472 ZHANG Chinese surname meaning archer. #749 HURST Someone who lives by a wooded hill. #660 HEATH Lives in or near a heath (open, unculivated land) or from a town named Heath. Courteous. Again, you have to be aware of the two names and keep an eye out for both. #540 ZAMORA Family from the ancient city of Zamora in North West Spain. #957 SANFORD From the sandy ford. Kelly 3. #836 HEBERT Illustrious soldier. And the rate at which parents are choosing not to marry has risen dramatically over the past 50 years. #665 ACEVEDO Spanish surname meaning someone who lives near or in a grove of holly trees or hollywood. (S), or less than 100 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races". Phone: (904) 823-8707 or (904) 806-2131. #558 BAUTISTA Baptist or baptized. #3 WILLIAMS - Son or family of William. #384 McCARTHY Form of the Gaelic Mac Carthaigh meaning son of Carthach (loving). #613 ROCHA Portuguese surname based on the French surname Roche, which means lives by the rocky crag. #670 CISNEROS From Cisneros in the province of Palencia, Spain. #591 SUMMERS Occupational surname for a sumpter a person who drove pack mules or horses. One being an occupational surname for a bow maker. #874 NAVA Habitational surname from many towns named Nava in Spain, literally meaning treeless plateau. Director of Marketing - St. Ann Catholic School - LinkedIn #299 FOWLER Occupational surname for someone who works with fowl (birds). Some states, such as Louisiana, maintain policies that enforce patrilineal surnaming as a default when the father is known and supports the children, unless both partners agree otherwise. 1 Available. #944 WOODWARD Ward of the forest/woods. #562 TREVINO Lives in a house on a boundary, or where boundaries meet. #687 ARELLANO Habitational surname for a family from Arellano, spain. From Ceallaigh. Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). #553 PIEDA Habitational surname from several places in Spain. #629 RICHARD Brave ruler. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. #748 ENGLISH Person from England. #856 VALENTINE Strong, healthy, valiant. History is another factor in determining surnames. #55 DIAZ Son of Diego #164 SHAW Family who lived near a dense wooded area. I also have a Ph.D. in English and have written more than 4,000 articles for regional and national publications. #99 FOSTER Occupational surname, a contraction of Forester. #19 JACKSON Son of Jack/John. Hardened meaning battled in war. #847 MICHAEL Who is like god? #764 ROACH From the French surname Roches, meaning lives near a rocky crag. #980 NOVAK The newcomer/new one. #86 BENNETT Family of Benedict (Blessed). When Alcia Hernndez Grande, now a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, got her drivers license as a teenager in Houston in 2004, she remembers that the DMV tried to split her last name, Hernndez Grande, into two parts. Not all features are available in every apartment. #589 BASS Big/tall or an occupational surname for someone who caught or sold fish. #253 AUSTIN Family of Augustin/Augustine. #2 JOHNSON - Son of John. Catholic, like all of the names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. #863 FELIX Originally a term of endearment, meant happy one. #567 COCHRAN Scottish surname for a family who lived near the lowlands of Cochrane. #520 ESCOBAR Habitational surname for someone who lived in or near a place overgrown with broom (a shrub with long, thin green stems). #132 TRAN Vietnamese surname meaning old, ancient. #75 HOWARD Occupational surname for a ewe herder. #471 HODGES Family of Roger. #347 JENNINGS Family of little John. #230 WILLIS Family of William. #213 ARMSTRONG Literally means strong man. Join the community of family history enthusiasts and FamilySearch employees to ask questions and discuss potential product enhancements. #200 HAWKINS From the hawks place. #354 PARKS Living in or near a green area, or occupational surname for a groundskeeper. #487 CLARKE Occupational surname for a clerk. #515 GIBBS Family of Gilbert (Gib was a nickname for Gilbert). #290 YANG Chinese surname meaning willow tree or aspen. #937 FRYE Born free. #126 COLE From the word coal indicating a coal miner or possibly someone with darker skin. #73 REED Red person with reddish complexion. #650 SOSA Portuguese surname meaning from the salt water (salsa agua) #207 HART Irish surname, from the Gaelic hAirt meaning descendant of Art. Literally means land of forest. #642 YORK From the ancient city or county of York, UK. #186 GARZA The heron bird. Meaning near the water channel, strait. #172 PALMER Pilgrim. #266 HARVEY Worthy of Battle. #262 BISHOP Occupational surname for a bishop. Unusually for Irish names, the "O" prefix has held strong, with more O'Connors than Connors in both Ireland and America. (Watt was a nickname for Walter) Last Tuesday in New York City, members of the National Socialist Party, otherwise known as neo . #820 HOWE Lives near a man-made mound or burial mound. #52 PHILLIPS Family of Phillip. Catholic/Irish Surnames | Our Everyday Life #527 McBRIDE Son of the servant of Brighid. The FamilySearch Library has digitized records for the years 1594 to 1924 from the main Cathedral in St. Augustine, indexes, and various transcripts. Many of these followed earlier St. Mary's County pioneers to Kentucky, especially to Nelson and . We'll also look at the race and ethnic origin of people in the United States who are named Catholic. #882 SHEPARD Occupational surname for a shepherd. 2. #149 HENRY Ruler of the Home. #327 CALDWELL Lives by the cold well. #714 GILMORE From the Celtic surname MacGille Mhoire, meaning servant of the Virgin Mary. When the researchers asked the couples to explain why they chose the last names they did, lesbian and gay couples spoke far longer on those topics than did the heterosexual couples, Patterson told me. Since those are the countries from which many of America's original settlers came, it's hardly surprising. Abbott Save Image: Shutterstock #421 CALDERON Spanish occupational surname for one who makes or sells cooking vessels (i.e. #554 BURNETT Descriptive surname for someone with brown hair (brunette). #677 GARRISON Son of Gerard or Gerald. #647 TAPIA Lives in or behind a mud wall. Sep 2006 - Aug 202115 years. #941 BOOKER Occupational surname for someone who bound, wrote, or sold books. #434 MANNING Strong, valiant. #20 MARTIN From the god of Mars. #552 PATRICK Nobleman. #692 BELTRAN Spanish surname meaning bright raven. #956 ESTES From the East. #712 BERG From the mountain. #293 PADILLA Place name, literally means saucepan or little pot. Although it currently means the religious leader of the Catholic church, it was a title used for clergy of any rank. #723 MONTES Habitational surname for someone who lived on or near a hill/mountain. #848 CONRAD Brave counsel. #809 ELLISON Son of Ellis/Elias/Elijah. Brush up on your geography and finally learn what countries are in Eastern Europe with our maps. #242 NUEZ Son of Nuo Neil Burdess. #747 STAFFORD From the landing by the ford. #66 ROGERS Family of Roger #814 SELLERS Occupational surname for someone who was a merchant/seller. #826 HERMAN Army man. This sounds much less white than Smith or White, but it's still quite popular. #154 GUZMAN Lived in or near the town of Guzmn, Spain. #255 CARR From an area of wet, rough ground In 2002, researchers found that about 97 percent of married couples passed down only the fathers last name to their first kid. #611 LAM Chinese surname meaning Forest. #999 TANG Vietnamese surname, meaning from the Tang dynasty. #545 LANG Nickname for a person who was tall. The share of women who themselves kept their surname after marriage was about 3 percent in 1975, when some states still required women to take their husbands name to register to vote. The most recent statistics we have for the Catholic surname is from the 2010 census data. #49 CARTER Occupational surname for a cart driver. We . cork: O'Sullivan derry: Doherty donegal: Gallagher dublin: Byrne galway: Conealy (also commonly spelled Conneely and Connolly) kerry: Sullivan kildare: Kelly kilkenny: Brennan laois: Delaneh leitrim: Kelly limerick: Ryan longford: Reilly louth: Byrne mayo: Walsh meath:Reilly monaghan: Duffy offaly: Kelly roscommon: Kelly sligo: McLoughlin But these ripple effects through history and immigration status have led to the country we have today and the last names that you, your friends and family, and your acquaintances are known by. #729 ONEAL Son of Neal. #295 WALSH Welsh, foreigner, stranger referring to Celt. #965 McPHERSON From the Gaelic surname Mac an Phearsain, meaning son of the parson. #29 LEWIS Son or family of Lewis. #356 VAUGHN From the Welsh fychan meaning small, little #688 MELTON From the middle settlement. #423 MOSS A contraction of the name Moses, meaning born of a god. #470 HUBBARD Variation of the name Hubert, meaning bright heart. #721 BEARD Descriptive surname for a man with a very distinct beard. #459 MONTOYA From the hills and valleys. #4 BROWN - Surname from a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair. #598 YODER Swiss surname meaning son or family of Theodore. Or a form of the Irish/Celtic name Conchobhair, meaning Descendant of the Hound/Desire possibly meaning wolf lover.