#978 LU Chinese surname of unknown meaning. #559 ALI Exalted, revered. Two-Syllable Famous American / British White Girl Names. #384 McCARTHY Form of the Gaelic Mac Carthaigh meaning son of Carthach (loving). #393 SALINAS Lives in a large building or fortress. #661 FOLEY From the old Gaelic surname, OFoghladha, meaning Descendant of the pirate. #831 WEEKS Is from or works in a dairy farm, from the old English word wic. #392 KLEIN Small. Common US Surnames and Their Meanings. #165 SNYDER Occupational surname for a clothing tailor. The surname Underwood occurs roughly 19 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. #763 BARAJAS Habitational surname for a family from any number of villages of that name. #412 RAMSEY Locational surname from the town of Ramsey, UK. This is where the name Jansdottir came from, signifying Jans daughter.. Miller 8. #746 GUEVARA From Guevara, Spain. Of course, when the problem is too many people with the same first name, this can also create a similar problem with too many people with the same last name if a society was only to use patronymic naming. Adams/Adamson Meaning: Son of Adam. #666 BENITEZ Son of Benito. ", A patronymic derived from the given name Sancho, meaning "sanctified.". ", Population Count: 804,240Rodriguez is a patronymic name meaning "son of Rodrigo," a given name meaning "famous ruler." #816 ESPARZA Occupational surname for a professional swordsman/soldier. #801 McLEAN From the old Gaelic name Mac gille Eoin, literally meaning son of the devotee of Saint John. The German form means "steward or baliff," as in the magistrate of a city or town. Thus, some people were given the last name Smith indicating they were a smith or the last name Miller indicating they were a miller. For example, a name like Davis actually originated from the name Davidson. Somewhere along the line, someone decided Davidson was too long and instead started shortening it to Davis. Davis is one of the most common last names in the US today. Or a form of the Irish/Celtic name Conchobhair, meaning Descendant of the Hound/Desire possibly meaning wolf lover. #929 XIONG Chinese surname meaning bear. #59 COLLINS Family of Coilean A place name derived from various words for "large house," usually used to signify someone who lived in or worked in a hall or manor house. #108 BUTLER Occupational surname for a butler/wine steward. #630 GALVAN Nickname for someone who had a receding hairline or was going bald. Literally means wild olives. #966 CHURCH Someone who worked in a church or lived near a church. See the. #75 HOWARD Occupational surname for a ewe herder. #97 LONG Surname from a nickname for someone who was tall. These names are taken directly from the most recent census data. #990 BRANCH Possibly a habitational surname for someone from Branch, a land division in Wiltshire, U.K. or from Branches Park, a former country mansion in West Suffolk, U.K. 5. #130 GIBSON Son of Gilbert (nicknamed Gib). Source: 100% sample based on Social Security card application data as of Verlice 4. Patricia likes to take pictures of anything that catches her eye - from nature's beauty to the people she meets along the way. #418 CARDENAS From the land of thorns. #349 DURAN Literally means durable, hard. The word means "son of Adam.'" The name is derived from the Hebrew noun "adamah," meaning "earth" or "the ground," from which God created the first human 'Adam.' ThoughtCo. #513 SALAS Literally means room, hall. Could be habitational or occupational for someone who worked in a mansion. In addition to being named after natural features, some people were also given the name of the city they lived in or came from. #301 DAVIDSON Son of David. #598 YODER Swiss surname meaning son or family of Theodore. #628 BRADFORD From the broad or big ford. #92 ALVAREZ Family of Alvaro. This surname is of uncertain etymology but is often considered to derive from the Hebrew personal name Adam which was borne, according to Genesis, by the first man. #692 BELTRAN Spanish surname meaning bright raven. #285 ROJAS Red-headed or ruddy complexion. In this section of the site we have data on the most common White last names beginning with S in the United States. But who cares as long as the names are cute? Abbey - Weitzeil, US Olympian. #540 ZAMORA Family from the ancient city of Zamora in North West Spain. Despite the nation's growing racial and ethnic diversity, the five most frequent American surnames in 2010 remained the same as in 2000 and were mainly reported by whites and blacks. #976 HESTER Either lives by the beech tree, or an occupational surname for a herald/town crier. #567 COCHRAN Scottish surname for a family who lived near the lowlands of Cochrane. #972 DUDLEY From Duddas clearing Dudda was a nickname for a rotund/heavy person. Back when the 1990 U.S. Census was taken, the top-ranking surnames were largely of English, Irish, and Scottish origin. #672 SHIELDS From a shed or shelter. 6. #401 AGUIRRE From a prominent place. #931 CANO Spanish/Portugal surname referring to a cave, or a French/Italian occupational surname occupational for someone who supplied cane/reeds for thatching. #328 BECK Leaves by the stream. #488 BARTON From the barley town. #839 QUINTERO Spanish surname meaning fifth or a person from Quintero in Ourense province, from the word quinteiro, meaning farmstead. #795 ODONNELL Family of Donnell/Donald. 2. A nickname often given to a man who was especially tall and lanky. #199 SPENCER Occupational surname for a butler or steward of a manor. #731 McCLURE From the Gaelic surname MIlluidhir, which literally translates as Son of Ordars follower. #980 NOVAK The newcomer/new one. Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 and 2010 censuses? #261 VEGA From the plain, meadow. #212 DUNCAN Irish surname from the Gaelic meaning brown chief. #810 NIELSEN Son of Niel. #820 HOWE Lives near a man-made mound or burial mound. From the Old English "cyning," originally meaning "tribal leader," this nickname was commonly bestowed on a man who carried himself like royalty, or who played the part of the king in a medieval pageant. #811 GILLESPIE From the Gaelic Mac giolla Easpuig, meaning son of the bishops servant. Powell, Kimberly. #761 KLINE German nickname surname given to someone who was small. Popular and mean girl. #958 BURCH Lives near the birch tree or grove. ", As it sounds, Brown originated as a descriptive surname meaning "brown haired" or "brown skinned.". #781 BARR From the great hill. For each rank and sex, #42 ADAMS Family of Adam. It'll always be a family name you already know or a surname you've recently heard. #856 VALENTINE Strong, healthy, valiant. #136 MURRAY Scottish place name from the area of Moray, meaning seaboard settlement. Originally used to describe a person who lived in or worked in a wood or forest. This sounds much less white than Smith or White, but its still quite popular. To help you understand the above table, below is a description of each column and what it represents. To help you understand the above table, below is a description of each column and what it represents. #735 HUERTA Lives by the top of a hill or near a fortress. #842 WALLS Someone who lived near or behind a big wall. To search, press CTRL-F on a PC, or -F on a Mac, then enter your last name. . #571 PETERSEN Son of Peter. #217 RILEY From the rye clearing. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California. #290 YANG Chinese surname meaning willow tree or aspen. #389 ERICKSON Son of Eric. Daw was a nickname for David. #419 PACHECO Noble one, or person from France. Burton Meaning: Fort settlement. #541 PRATT From the Old English word praett meaning a trick (like pratfall). #342 FLEMING Flemish (Belgian/Dutch) person or from Flanders, Belgium. #851 CROSBY Lives by the cross or crossing. The surname Roberts occurs roughly 127 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. #224 HOFFMAN German occupational surname meaning property manager. #100 JIMENEZ Son of Jim/James. Barlow, (Old English origin) means 'a pocket knife'. #799 LOWERY Family of Lawrence. #923 QUINTANA Country house. #321 STANLEY Lives near the stone clearing. For example, the name James, ranked as the most popular male name over the last 100 years, has been ranked as low as number 19. A modern form of the ancient Irish name "O'Murchadha," which means "descendant of sea warrior" in Gaelic. We can pick randomly for you. This was especially popular with the ruling class. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/last-names/white-last-names-starting-with-k/. #139 MARSHALL Occupational surname for someone who is a lawman or takes care of horses. #446 WALTON From the walled town. lower back or side pain. Candace. #2 JOHNSON - Son of John. Amana (ah-MAH-nuh) Integrity, faithful, trust. Akari. #458 DELACRUZ Literally translates to of the cross. #110 BARNES Someone who lived or worked in or near a barn. #759 SALGADO Galician and Portuguese nickname surname for someone who was witty or wry, from the word salgado meaning salty. #914 PORTILLO Spanish/Castilian surname meaning small port. This is where a person was given a surname based on their job at the time. Can also be one of the cool names for girls. #438 HARMON Form of the name Herman, meaning army man. * Based on population in the 1940 U.S. Census Last names Therefore when they entered the country, spelling errors or spelling changes were common in surnames on paperwork. #202 PIERCE Family of Peter. #604 POOLE Lives near a small lake or stream. #603 MELENDEZ Visigoth surname meaning Entire Gift. #271 ESPINOZA From the thorny area. In the United States, white surnames have changed the least when compared to other categories such as black surnames or Asian surnames. #240 WATKINS Family of Walter/Watt #316 FIGUEROA Lives near the fig tree. #806 GENTRY Born of high status. #650 SOSA Portuguese surname meaning from the salt water (salsa agua) #423 MOSS A contraction of the name Moses, meaning born of a god. #921 HORNE Occupational surname for someone who carved objects out of horn, or made musical horns (usually made out of animal horn at the time). (2021, February 16). #745 SOLOMON Peaceful one, from the Hebrew Shalom. #141 HARRISON Son of harry. #507 IBARRA From the valley or hillside. One being an occupational surname for a bow maker. Smith 2. #387 CERVANTES From old Spanish meaning servant or the word ciervo, meaning stag or a womans man. An ethnic or geographical name signifying a native from Scotland or a person who spoke Gaelic. #431 ROSALES From the place of roses. Why are the British surnames Black, Brown, Green and Grey fairly common, but Yellow, Red, Blue, Purple etc very rare? #900 ASHLEY From the ash wood or clearing. He may also drop the Mac portion of his name turning MacDonald into Donald, Donalds, or even Donaldson.. Powell, Kimberly. #855 MAHONEY From the Gaelic surname OMathghamhana meaning son of Mathghamhain, literally meaning bear. Besides the original European surnames, many white people have Hispanic or Asian surnames although they consider themselves to be white. And very, very white. #493 CAMACHO Twisted or disfigured. #660 HEATH Lives in or near a heath (open, unculivated land) or from a town named Heath. ", A patronymic surname meaning "son of Phillip." #355 STEELE Occupational name for a foundry/steel worker. #913 LUGO Habitational surname for families from the town of Lugo in Galicia, Spain. To find all of the most popular White last names by starting letter, you can choose a letter from the following list: If you want to search for different ethnicity or ancestry, we also have pages that will let you find last names beginning with S (or any other letter) based on a specific ancestry. #717 HOBBS From the family of Hobb, a nickname for Robert. #711 KAUR Sikh surname meaning Princess. From the Old French "rey," meaning king, Reyes was often bestowed as a nickname for a man who carried himself in a regal, or kingly, fashion. #663 MATHEWS Family of Matthew. Literally means black. #228 RICHARDS Family of Richard. #402 LIN Chines surname meaning from the forest. Break tradition and pick a random last name. #867 HANNA From the Gaelic Ohannaigh, meaning descendant of Annach literally meaning iniquity. #41 GREEN Occupational surname for a groundskeeper or family that lived near an open green. #943 PARRA Spanish/Portuguese surname, meaning grapevine/trellis. Possibly used for someone who grew grapes or had a winery. For example, someone who was the son of a Baker would be given the last name Bakerson as opposed to just Baker. #210 ELLIOTT Family of Elias. #698 KOCH German occupational surname for a cook or kitchen manager. Smith. Surnames, where the daughter took on the fathers name, are distinguishable by the suffix dottir added at the end. The links below will let you research Hispanic last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. #902 POTTS Family of Philpott, an early form of the name Phillip. The links below will let you research black last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. #150 CHEN Chinese surname meaning morning. Literal meaning unknown. Used for families from the region of Hesse, in Germany. #8 DAVIS Son of David. Cohen comes in on our list. The surname Smith occurs roughly 828 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. 4. female name in the table, Mary, ranked as low as 133. This is our unofficial rank of the last name for people who self-identified as "White". Literally means from the wood grove of Augustus. #428 RODGERS Family of Roger. Courteous. #51 GOMEZ Man #530 VELAZQUEZ Son of Velasco. #478 ROWE Locational surname of someone who lived by a row of something, or from Rowland, meaning Renowned Wolf. #407 BOWEN Welsh surname meaning Son of Owain. Rodriguez is the least white-sounding of all Hispanic last names. #712 BERG From the mountain. The last most popular name that we will look into briefly is the family name of Lopez. #221 DELGADO Slender, skinny. #649 CHASE Nickname given to a skilled huntsman. #525 FRENCH Person from France. #970 CHERRY Occupational surname for someone who grew or sold cherries. #786 McINTYRE Son of the carpenter or craftsman. Finnegan 10. #335 FRAZIER Scottish clan surname, meaning varies but possibly near the strawberry field. Selecting the top 50 baby names by last names is a custom that started over 400 years ago in England. #818 BRADSHAW From the broad grove. #206 SANTOS Saints or Family of Santo. It was a good one. Literally means place of swans. #473 GUERRA Literally means war, used for a stubborn person or soldier. #683 DILLON From or near Dilwyn in Herefordshire, UK. One who lived near a place where a cross was erected, or near a crossroads or intersection. #377 McKINNEY Form of the Gaelic Mac Cionaodha meaning son of Cionaodha (pagan god of fire). #243 WHEELER Occupational surname for a person who made wagon wheels. Despite the nation's growing racial and ethnic diversity, the five most frequent American surnames in 2010 remained the same as in 2000 and were mainly reported by whites and blacks. #83 CHAVEZ Occupational surname for a key maker. #805 CHUNG Chinese/Korean surname literally meaning hanging bell flower. #532 McCORMICK Son of Cormac. #190 STEPHENS Family of Stephen. Currently, the most popular White last name beginning with R in America is Roberts, with a total count of 376,774 people who have the surname. #133 MEDINA From the city. #912 BENTON From the town with the bent grass. Literally means the gate at the boundary. Perhaps to describe a person who is steadfast or stubborn. Czech or Russian for 'white', Bela is used in Slavic cultures. Accessed 1 March, 2023. Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. #920 BLANCHARD With white hair or pale complexion. #50 ROBERTS Family of Robert. #659 DICKERSON Son of Richard. #764 ROACH From the French surname Roches, meaning lives near a rocky crag. The links below will let you research American Indian and Alaskan Native last names starting with each letter of the alphabet. "Oh yeah, I forgot to call Kyle.". For example, in the United States, Smith was the most popular surname in 1990 and retained that spot ten years later. #884 LANDRY Land ruler. [citation needed] Garcia and Martinez represent the rapid growth of several Hispanic communities in the United States. #863 FELIX Originally a term of endearment, meant happy one. ", A patronymic surname meaning "son of Watt," a pet form of the name Walter, meaning "ruler of the army.". cauldrons). https://www.thoughtco.com/most-common-us-surnames-1422656 (accessed March 1, 2023). #557 SHEPHERD Occupational surname for a herder of sheep. #385 LOVE From the French louve meaning a female wolf. #955 COFFEY From the Gaelic surname O Cobhthaigh meaning descendant of the victorious. What are Ancestry DNA Genetic Communities? #163 SILVA Portuguese surname meaning by the woods or forest. #251 FRANKLIN Free man. #632 BOONE Good person or from Bohon, France. These names are taken directly from the most recent census data. #346 NORRIS From the North. Check out this list of the 15 rarest last names in the world. Click any of the names in the table below to find out more about the origin, meaning, and ancestry of each last name.