Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company. O'Sullivan 4. #768 LESTER From Leicester, U.K. or the county town of Leicestershire. #32 YOUNG Meaning the younger. Surname given to a son of a man, when they had the same name. If Michael Houlihan immigrated to the U.S four generations ago from predominantly Catholic Southern Ireland (now The Irish Republic), his fourth generation descendant may be as little as 6.25 percent genetically Irish. Here's a list of the 26 counties in the Irish Republic along with the surname most often appearing in the historic 1890 survey of Irish Catholic parish registers for each county: Although most of the popular names in the list are recognizably "Irish sounding," many other popular names in the 1890 registry, which draws exclusively from Catholic parish birth records, have origins that are Scottish, Welsh, English, Norse, Norman and Flemish. Murray 19. #659 DICKERSON Son of Richard. #694 PARRISH Someone who lives near Paris, France or near a particular parish a geographical area defined by religion. #601 CAREY Welsh surname meaning from the fort on the hill. 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. #854 MAYS Either family of Matthew or a nickname for a guy who is a good friend. Teresa), Emmerich (for Ven. #190 STEPHENS Family of Stephen. We . #403 CUMMINGS Possibly from the French town Comines. #856 VALENTINE Strong, healthy, valiant. #759 SALGADO Galician and Portuguese nickname surname for someone who was witty or wry, from the word salgado meaning salty. #276 HANSON Son of Hans. When she and her mother pointed out the error, she said officials told her that they couldnt add spaces in the last-name column. #850 BENJAMIN Son of my right hand. #428 RODGERS Family of Roger. Learn about one of the world's oldest and most popular religions. #935 MOYER From the ancient Gaelic surname Mac an Mhaoir meaning steward, assistant, right-hand man. #28 RAMIREZ Son of Ramiro. But now that we have briefly explored the origins of names, lets take a look at 50 of the most popular and common last names in the United States. #886 SAMPSON The sun. #378 MANN Strong, manly. #69 MORGAN Welsh surname meaning by the sea. Given to a person who was a champion of a competition such as jousting. Literally means valley of the hare. Sylmarie Dvila-Montero 1 Available. #210 ELLIOTT Family of Elias. As an example of the extent of the post-war migration, the population of St. Mary's County decreased from 15,444 to 12,794 between the years 1790 and 1810. #624 COMBS LIves near a small valley (cumb). #35 WRIGHT Occupational surname meaning a craftsman. #547 VILLARREAL From the royal estate/village. #6 GARCIA Of unknown meaning. Hardened meaning battled in war. #480 FARMER Occupational surname for a person who worked a farm. #495 NORMAN From the northern region of France. Surname Origin Italian Last Names Italian Last Names Abate Abato Abbruzzese Abela Abella Abramo Abruzzese Abruzzo Accardi Accardo Accetta Accomando Accordino Aceto Achille Acierno Acquaviva Acquisto Acri Adami Adamo Addonizio Adduci #16 THOMAS Son of Thomas. For example, the actor Salma Hayek was born Salma Hayek Jimnez; her parents are named Sami Hayek Domnguez and Diana Jimnez Medina. Since those are the countries from which many of America's original settlers came, it's hardly surprising. 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. #744 MACDONALD Son of Donald. Carbo is an occupational last name referring "to someone who sells, extracts coal, or lived by a coal outcrop". #176 BOYD Scottish surname, from the Celtic term boidhe meaning fair or yellow. #869 RUSH From the place with reeds or occupational surname for someone who worked with reeds. #272 HOWELL Anglicized form of the Welsh Hywel, meaning eminent. #786 McINTYRE Son of the carpenter or craftsman. #525 FRENCH Person from France. Courteous. #390 REEVES Occupational surname meaning sheriff or local official. #676 BOYER Bow maker. #681 HANCOCK Son of John. Naples, FL. #326 CHAMBERS Occupational surname, servant who worked the bedrooms or chambers. #46 RIVERA From the shore or bank of a river. #37 TORRES Family who lived near a tower. #204 HANSEN Son of Hans. #479 GALLAGHER Irish surname meaning descendant of Gallchobhair. #996 ODOM Son-in-law of a prominent person. #967 SCHMITT German occupational surname for a smith/metalworker. Ryan 9. #201 ARNOLD Power of the Eagle. #721 BEARD Descriptive surname for a man with a very distinct beard. The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. #375 WARNER Guard. #498 PARSONS Occupational surname for a parson or priest. #436 CURRY Locational surname for families from a town named Curry. #208 BRADLEY From the broad meadow. #890 DUNLAP From the fort by the muddy place. #330 MIRANDA Place name, meaning a family who had a great (physical) view or outlook. #439 McGEE Gaelic surname meaning Son of Aodh, meaning fire. #521 McGUIRE From the Irish surname Mag Uidhir meaning son of Odhar which literally means pale-complected. #813 MIDDLETON From anyone of the places named Middleton in the UK, literally meaning the middle town. #800 SLOAN From the old Gaelic given name Sluaghadhan, meaning a leader of a military expedition. Surnames developed in Ireland as early as the tenth century, making them among the first in Europe. #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. #455 FISCHER Fisherman. #77 KIM Korean surname meaning gold. #425 CHAN Chinese surname literally meaning field or plain. Literally means battlefield. Scottish clan name. #317 KELLER German occupational surname for a winemaker. Because these settlers were some of the first Europeans to arrive in the New World and would go on to populate much of the vast, unsettled country, their names have stuck around for centuries. #6 GARCIA - Of unknown meaning. Non-GGG Members: Non-GGG members may search the Surname List database. #244 VALDEZ Son of Valdo/Waldo. #499 FRANK Person from France. O'Reilly 12. Andrysiak This patronymic polish surname refers to 'Son of Andrzej.' #464 CASTANEDA Literally translates to chestnut, and might have been used to describe a person with reddish-brown hair or worked a chestnut grove. #514 COBB Nickname meaning lump or a short form of the name Jacob. #320 MOLINA Occupational surname for a miller. #53 EVANS Family of Evan. FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27) | Privacy Notice (Updated 2021-04-06), 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. #998 TRAVIS Occupational surname for someone who collected a tax or toll at a crossing. He was asking about an FBI memo citing . #981 GOOD Respected/good person. #878 AVERY Elf king. #245 HARPER Occupational surname for someone who played or made harps. Names today no longer denote a profession, hometown, or mark of ownership; instead, they reflect what a family values. O'Connell 26. Mallinson knew that their choice was not a popular one for heterosexual American couplesshes a professor of sociolinguistics and gender and womens studies at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, and wrote a 2017 paper that, in part, analyzes patrilineal surname conventions. #956 ESTES From the East. #794 McCALL From Gaelic surname Mac Cathmhaoil, literally meaning son of the battle chief. #10 MARTINEZ Son of Martin. Despite a history of troubled relations between the two countries going back centuries, persons do intermarry and so, in those areas of the Irish Republic closest to Northern Ireland, it's harder to tell from the last name whether the family is Catholic or Protestant. #580 HOOVER From the German Huber, meaning plot of land or farm. #961 OCONNELL Descendant of Conaill. #590 GREER From the family of Gregory. #248 SANTIAGO Of the Saint Tiago/Diego. #123 WALLACE Welsh or Foreigner. #796 STEIN Family of Stephen. #663 MATHEWS Family of Matthew. O'Connor 10. Not all features are available in every apartment. By the 1400s, Anthony wrote, when surnames were more commonly passed down directly from parent to child, plenty of children took their mothers or grandmothers last name. #175 ROBERTSON Son of Robert. In 2018, 8.8 percent of babies born in Shanghai received their mothers family name. #529 LINDSEY From Lincolnshire or Lincoln Island. #345 SCHWARTZ Person of dark or swarthy complexion. #902 POTTS Family of Philpott, an early form of the name Phillip. Moore 21. Literally means the beacon/lighthouse. #23 THOMPSON Son of Thomas. #97 LONG Surname from a nickname for someone who was tall. #431 ROSALES From the place of roses. #256 LAWSON Son of Lawrence #610 MASSEY Matthews land. #725 ROSARIO Contraction of the Spanish Mara del Rosario, given to a girl who was born on the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated on the first Sunday in October. Smith seems to be at the top of the list of the whitest names, followed by Johnson, Miller, Brown, Jones and Williams. #504 CASEY Irish surname from the Gaelic OCathasaigh, meaning son of Cathasach 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. #988 CANTRELL Occupational surname for a bell ringer (someone who rang the Chanterelles) or who sang in a choir. If you know your Italian ancestors' traditional naming patterns, you can use the names of bambini to guess the parents' and grandparents' identities: the first son was named after the father's father. #389 ERICKSON Son of Eric. #940 AVALOS Spanish habitational surname for someone from balos, Spain. Again, you have to be aware of the two names and keep an eye out for both. #784 MARIN Family of Marino or lives near the sea. #648 GATES Lives in or behind a gated area. Wassa was a feminine Anglo-Saxon given name. #305 HOLLAND From the Netherlands/Holland. Aiden is Catholic, Adam is Protestant. Top 100 Most Common Last Names in the United States. In other places across the country particularly in the southwest Hispanic or Latino populations arrived with a completely different tradition of family names. #203 VAZQUEZ Son of Vasco. 2. #21 LEE Family who lived in or near an open meadow or clearing. #944 WOODWARD Ward of the forest/woods. #484 INGRAM People from England. Powell, Kimberly. #543 OWEN Lives by the yew tree, or person who appears youthful. #620 HUYNH Korean surname meaning bright or yellow. (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.) Given names become even more significant in the patronymic system, as in Scandinavia, where the given name of the father becomes the surname of . #822 FROST Nickname surname for a person who had white hair or who had a frosty disposition. Variation of Suarez. #767 JACOBSON Son of Jacob. 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. #805 CHUNG Chinese/Korean surname literally meaning hanging bell flower. Most probably used for someone who was brave and formidable in battle. Why? Or a respelling of the Irish ODuilleain, meaning descendant of the blind one. #541 PRATT From the Old English word praett meaning a trick (like pratfall). #619 PITTMAN Lives by a quarry or pit. #273 LI Chinese surname meaning Plum or Plum Tree. #724 MATA Habitational name derived from a number of towns in Spain and Portugal. In this case a similar sounding American name may be adopted. #124 MORENO Brown-skinned. #313 JOSEPH He will add. Literally means Little Valencia and Valencia means bravery, strength. Names they like that don't feel like the one include Rory (for St. Gregory), Greer (for St. Gregory), Quinn (for Ven. #4 BROWN - Surname from a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair. #400 HIGGINS From the Irish surname Huiginn meaning descendant of Uigin (Viking). #978 LU Chinese surname of unknown meaning. #94 SANDERS Family of Alexander. #566 OLSEN Son of Olaf. #802 HENDRICKS Family of Hendrick/Heinrich. Need a reference? #773 MEADOWS Lives in or near the meadow. This was another common surname convention, which originated from a father's first name, and then "son" was added, as in Stevenson, Davidson, Robertson, or Richardson. The mother almost always loses, Anthony told me. #839 QUINTERO Spanish surname meaning fifth or a person from Quintero in Ourense province, from the word quinteiro, meaning farmstead. #771 KERR From the word kjarr, meaning wet ground covered with brush. #674 HUFFMAN Man/Steward of a farm. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. Phone: (904) 823-8707 or (904) 806-2131. Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records, Series 2-1 Surname Index: This index provides limited access to Marquette's premiere record body with genealogical value -- the Native American school attendance records with over 25,000 surnames from 76 Catholic elementary and secondary schools in 15 states, 1890s-1977. Join the movement! #31 WALKER Occupational surname for a person who walked on damp cloth in order to thicken it. National Library of Ireland: Parish Registers, galway: Conealy (also commonly spelled Conneely and Connolly). Might go back to meaning campers on the river Legra. #836 HEBERT Illustrious soldier. In 2016, the researchers Charlotte J. Patterson and Rachel H. Farr compared last-name conventions among opposite-gender couples and same-gender couples who adopted kids, finding that 52 percent of adoptive same-gender couples opt to give their children a hyphenated version of both last names. #731 McCLURE From the Gaelic surname MIlluidhir, which literally translates as Son of Ordars follower. Attention: This site does not support the current version of your web browser. #55 DIAZ Son of Diego #859 HAHN German surname from the word hane meaning rooster, applied as a nickname for a conceited or sexually active man. #642 YORK From the ancient city or county of York, UK. #491 WATERS From the place near the water, or family of Walter. #629 RICHARD Brave ruler. And the rate at which parents are choosing not to marry has risen dramatically over the past 50 years. Probably a habitational surname for a family who lived near tree stumps. #926 BEAN Either from the word bene meaning friend, good person or occupational for someone who literally grew or sold beans. #757 MURILLO Lives near a boundary or wall. #96 MYERS Occupational surname for a Mayor. #115 ROMERO From or traveler to Rome. Check ourencyclopedia for a gloss on thousands of topics from biographies to the table of elements. #65 COOK Occupational surname for a cook/chef. #742 DYER Occupational surname for someone who dyed either cloth or hair or hide. Murphy 2. #236 CHAPMAN Occupational surname meaning tradesperson or merchant. #722 McCLAIN Scottish clan name, originally Mac Gille Eathain, meaning son of the servant of Saint John. Do you have one of the most common last names in Florida? #223 PERKINS Son of Peter. "Catholic Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin". #636 BRUCE From various place names in Normandy, France. #469 SHERMAN Literally translates to shear man, an occupational surname for someone who trimmed pills off the surface of fine cloth. #368 MILES Son of Mile. #818 BRADSHAW From the broad grove. #877 VENTURA Foundling or deserted child used for someone who was innocent or gullible. #277 LE Vietnamese surname meaning lives near a pear tree. #842 WALLS Someone who lived near or behind a big wall. #106 BELL Occupational surname for a bell-ringer/news announcer. Infoplease knows the value of having sources you can trust. #80 RICHARDSON Son of Richard. Literally means lives by the stream that leads to the port or bay. O'Doherty 16. #86 BENNETT Family of Benedict (Blessed). #630 GALVAN Nickname for someone who had a receding hairline or was going bald. These can include Chavez, Diaz, Ruiz, Cruz, Gutierrez, Mendoza, Jimenez, and many others. #977 PROCTOR Occupational surname for a proctor/manager/attorney. #478 ROWE Locational surname of someone who lived by a row of something, or from Rowland, meaning Renowned Wolf. #844 HOUSE Habitational or occupational surname for someone who either owned a big mansion or worked in one. Several states, including Indiana, North Dakota, and Rhode Island, require unmarried mothers to pass down their surnames as a default (unless there is a paternity affidavit or written consent, depending on the state). #392 KLEIN Small. Surnames also changed over time: A person named Hilton, for instance, might take up the last name Potter after beginning their vocation in ceramics. #654 DALTON From the town near the valley, dale. #128 BRYANT Family of Brian. Hear ye! Individual judges have repeatedly used the legal doctrine of the best interests of the child to side with the father. Examples: Roderick GuerreroRoderick, the warrior or soldier Lucas VicarioLucas, the vicar Carlos ZapateroCarlos, the shoemaker #951 STUART Occupational surname for someone who worked as a steward/assistant. #815 LEBLANC French surname for someone who was pale or had very blond hair. #932 LEVY From the family of Levi. #39 HILL Family who lived near or on a hill. Garcia jumped in popularity from the 18th-most-popular name in 1990 to the sixth-most-popular last name in 2010. #835 McFARLAND Scottish surname from the Gaelic MacPharlain meaning son of Parlan. #552 PATRICK Nobleman. #253 AUSTIN Family of Augustin/Augustine. #398 VELASQUEZ Son of Velasco. Michael Houlihan may be the descendant of a MacDonough, a name with Scotch origins, who migrated from predominantly Protestant Northern Ireland to predominantly Catholic Southern Ireland and then married a Houlihan. #405 SHARP Smart person. #490 MAXWELL From Macks stream, pool, or well. the second son, after the mother's father. To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser. Kelly is the English version of the Gaelic Ceallaigh, or "descendant of Ceallach," an ancient personal name meaning "bright-headed" or "warlike." It has origins in several different parts of the. #691 HO Chinese surname with several meanings, descriptive of a chin waddle or characteristic long-lasting. Literally means black. . #919 VILLALOBOS From the town of Villalobos, Spain, meaning the village of wolves. #966 CHURCH Someone who worked in a church or lived near a church. Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. #62 MORRIS Dark-skinned, from the Moors. #774 ORR Lives near a slope or shore. #342 FLEMING Flemish (Belgian/Dutch) person or from Flanders, Belgium. #56 PARKER Occupational surname for someone worked as a park keeper or game keeper. #737 VANCE From a low marshland. #618 ANTHONY Unknown meaning. #766 WINTERS Nickname surname for someone who was literally cold or unemotional. When two people with double-barrel last names have children, they each pass down the first of their two last names. #701 BRENNAN From the Irish surname O Braonin, meaning descendant of Braonn. Literally means raindrop or drop of moisture. #831 WEEKS Is from or works in a dairy farm, from the old English word wic. #17 TAYLOR From the family of the tailor. O'Carroll 23. Grain, wood, etc. #166 MASON Occupational surname for a bricklayer. #420 CROSS Locational for someone who lived near a crossing, or occupational for someone who carried a cross in church. By the same principle, Iceland has patronymic and matronymic systems that include both son and daughter suffixes that help people identify familial lines, which have existed for centuries. #446 WALTON From the walled town. #300 MEJIA Unknown meaning, might be a religious surname referring to the Messiah. #267 WILLIAMSON Son of William #278 McCOY Anglicized form of a Scottish surname meaning son of Aodh. #640 ROY Royal, Kingly. #900 ASHLEY From the ash wood or clearing. #982 MADDEN From the Irish surname OMadain, meaning descendant of the son of the hound. #30 ROBINSON Son of Robin, a nickname for Robert. Literal meaning unknown. #95 PATEL Indian/Gujarati surname meaning Landowner. #991 HENDRIX Family of Heinrich. #572 BRIGGS Variation of the name Bridges could be habitational for someone who lived near a bridge or occupational for someone who built bridges. #165 SNYDER Occupational surname for a clothing tailor. #868 PACE The peaceful one. #441 DOYLE Irish surname from the Gaelic Dhubh-ghall meaning dark stranger. Connolly 24. #516 ANDRADE Habitational name for people who lived in the small parish of San Martio de Andrade in the town of Pontedeume, Galicia in Spain. Unusually for Irish names, the "O" prefix has held strong, with more O'Connors than Connors in both Ireland and America. #275 REID Red-headed or had a ruddy complexion. #710 HUTCHINSON Son of hugh, or son of the close, beloved relative. #879 PUGH Welsh surname from ap Hugh meaning son of Hugh. 2. Digitized records of Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine. the third son, after the father. #406 BARBER Occupational surname for a barber. #557 SHEPHERD Occupational surname for a herder of sheep. Certain surnames identify Irish Catholic ancestry, but don't establish a dominant genealogy. Salazar literally translates to old hall. #125 WEST From the West. #327 CALDWELL Lives by the cold well.