The Most Common Last Names in New Hampshire – Is One Yours?
Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.
In Central Massachusetts, where I grew up, the most common last names were of Irish descent, with Leary, Sullivan and O'Hara leading the charge! I've never met anyone who I wasn't related to with the same last name as me, "Lew". I heard that our last name was "Lev", but it got changed to "Lew" when my grandfather came to America from Poland in the early 1900s. Aren't last names so fascinating?
Now that I am a Granite Stater, I was curious to learn what the most popular last names in New Hampshire are, and if the list greatly differs from that of our neighbors to the south.
This might not come as a shock to you, but did you know that Smith is the most popular last name in the U.S, with more than 2.5 million Smiths around the 50 states?! THAT'S A LOT OF SMITHS! It's popularity also travels outside our nation's bounds, because Smith is the most common last name in over a dozen countries including England, Australia, Scotland, and Canada.
And wouldn't you know, Smith is also the #1 most common last name in New Hampshire! According to the site Forebears, the last name Smith originated as an occupational surname for the smith, or someone who worked with metal (like a blacksmith for example).
Here are the Top 20 most common last names in New Hampshire, including how many of each are in the state:
- Smith: 9,737
- Brown: 5,777
- Johnson: 4,892
- Davis: 3,598
- Clark: 3,383
- White: 3,378
- Martin: 3,290
- Sullivan: 3,191
- Miller: 3,036
- Anderson: 2,945
- Williams: 2,851
- Murphy: 2,798
- Jones: 2,591
- Gagnon: 2,472
- Taylor: 2,372
- Roy: 2,329
- Young: 2,306
- Wilson: 2,286
- Moore: 2,234
- Thompson: 2,193
Check out the top 100 most common last names in New Hampshire here.
[via Forebears]