Is there a certain last name that you encounter more often than others? Maybe you work with a few unrelated Garcias, or your graduating class had a handful of Moores in it.
It’s not just you – a new study found most Americans have one of six surnames and, in California specifically, one of three.
Ancestry recently reviewed phone book listings from across the country to determine the three most popular last names in each state. Smith was far and away the most common nationwide, failing to land in the top three in just five states: California, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota.
California’s most popular surname was Garcia, edging out Hernandez and Lopez.
Garcia was most common across Southwestern states, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada. It was the top last name in only one other state: Texas.
According to Ancestry, the traditionally Hispanic surname was among the eighth most common last name in the U.S. in 2000 and jumped to sixth in 2010.
Hernandez and Lopez didn’t appear in the top three last names for any other states. Both have been among the top 20 most common surnames in the U.S. since 2010, Ancestry reports.
Nationally, other popular surnames included Johnson, Miller, Jones, Williams, and Anderson.
Hawaii was the only state in which the last names Lee, Wong, and Kim were the most popular.
You can view Ancestry’s full report here, as well as the meanings and origins behind many common last names.
