
Browse surnames from A to Z and find out a little bit of your own family history. Look up the meaning and origin of your last name.

Many of these last names have roots in Old English because of time and place where family names developed.Īre you a Garcia, a Nguyen, or a Brooks? Or perhaps your family name is far less common. That’s a fact Navigate through the website clicking on the categories above or by clicking on the letter of the animal you want to learn. If you want to know about most animals, we have the information, we have the details and we have the facts. We also see a lot of occupational names like Miller, Smith, and Taylor. The best website on the internet to learn about animals. These names are known as patronymic, which means "named for the father". However, as populations grew, there might have been five or ten different Williams in a single town, but only one who was "John's son", so he'd be called, "William, John's son". Sometimes locations developed into last names this way. Sometimes people were specified by listing the town one lived in after their name, such as "William of Elmwood". Last names originated when people needed to be referred to more specifically than simply by their first names. People didn't always have last names, and they were referred to simply by their given names. List of 10 Most Common Last Names in the United States: Torres is another frequent surname among Hispanic and Portuguese populations, and Nguyen is a Vietnamese family name seen quite often around the world. The most common surnames in Spanish include Garcia, Rodríguez, and Hernandez. Throughout the Western region we see plenty of Hispanic family names, reflecting the diverse makeup of the United States. Scottish and Welsh names also show up a lot throughout the United States because of our country's early immigration history.

Census also lists other common surnames in English like Johnson, Jones, and Miller. Smith, an English family name, is the most common last name in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. And while you're at it, remember to think about what initials your little one will have too. Perhaps you'd like to find a given name from your own family history, or maybe you just want to make sure the names flow and sound good together. How much do you know about your last name? Once it's time to give your baby a first name, you may become more interested in the origin of your family name.
