Smith, Johnson and Brown are Connecticut’s Most Popular Last Names
/The top surname in Connecticut and the United States is Smith. The next most popular are Johnson and Brown. Brown is most common in California, Nevada and the Northeast, and ranks 4th nationally, according to data compiled from the Social Security Administration by the website MooseRoots.
Williams is 6th in Connecticut, but the third most popular in the nation. Jones is 7th in Connecticut and 5th ranked nationally. Miller, which is most popular in the Pacific Northwest and across the Rust Belt, ranks 6th in the nation but 5th in Connecticut.
The website points out that “baby name trends can change wildly from generation to generation, but last names tend to stick around. Still, immigration, birth rates and geography can all have an effect on the overall ranking, which can shift from decade to decade.”
Smith’s popularity is unmatched: the name is the most prevalent in a majority of US states, only slightly less popular in New Mexico and some northern states. Johnson’s US popularity can be split into three regions: less popular in the East, more popular in the West, and especially popular in the North, according to the website’s analysis. Most popular in the Southeast, Williams is notable for being more evenly split between whites and blacks.
While Davis is a predominantly white name, nearly one third of Americans with the name identify as black. Davis ranks 7th nationally, and 9th in Connecticut. The Nutmeg State’s 4th most popular last name is Anderson, which ranks at #12 in the U.S. Anderson is described as “a distinctly northern name, most popular among states like Montana, North Dakota, So
uth Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where it ranks 2nd. Anderson also ranks high in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, at #6.
The top Hispanic surname nationally is Garcia, ranked at #8. In Connecticut, Garcia ranks #317 among last names of state residents, according to the data. It is directly followed by Rodriguez, ranking #9 in the U.S. and #114 in Connecticut. Over 90 percent of individuals with a last name of Rodriguez identify as Hispanic. The name is most popular in large states such as New York and Florida, as well as across the entire Southwest.
The #10 surname in the U.S. is Wilson, which is described as having “a checkerboard-like popularity across the United States.” In Connecticut, Wilson ranks as the 13th most popular last name.
In Connecticut, the 11th most popular last name is White, which ranks #20 among the nation’s population. While White is predominantly a Caucasian surname, the website points out, it is still reasonably common among blacks. Geographically, the name is most popular in the Northeast, particularly among the New England states. White ranks as #6 in Maine and New Hampshire, #8 in Vermont, #7 in Massachusetts and #10 in New York The only other states where White is a top-10 surname are Missouri (#10) and West Virginia (#9). In addition to Connecticut, White ranks at #11 in Mississippi.
The MooseRoots website “combines historical records with relevant supporting information to provide unique insights into your family's past.” It is operated by FindTheBest, a technology company focused on collecting and interpreting data.
