PROVIDENCE – If you live in Rhode Island, there is a good chance you know someone with or have the last name Smith, Brown or Johnson. Why? Those are the three most common last names in the state, according to Ancestry.com, which used its listings to determine the most common surnames.
Smith is the most common last name in the United States, with all but five states having the surname in their top three most common last name. Johnson is a close second, being one of the most common last names in 43 states. Other common last names across the country include Miller, Jones, Williams and Anderson.
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Smith, Brown and Johnson are the most common last names in all the other New England states except for Massachusetts, where the most common last names are Smith, Johnson and Sullivan. According to Ancestry.com, Massachusetts is the only state where Sullivan appears as a common surname, citing its large Irish population.
The most diverse last names are found in the Southwest, where there are large Latino populations. For example, California’s most popular last names are Garcia, Hernandez and Lopez, while New Mexico’s most common last names are Martinez, Garcia and Chavez.
Hawaii was the only state in which the three most common last names are not shared with any other state, with Lee, Wong and Kim being the most common surnames in the state.
Lauren Aratani is a PBN contributing writer.
