200+ Popular Last Names 2026 (With Meanings)

Popular last names: Last names do more than just ascertain. They carry history, culture, and sometimes even hidden meanings.

Whether you’re Smith, Johnson, or Patel, each of these names has an intriguing origin shaped by ancestry, geography, and occupation.

In this post, we shall discuss some of the common last names, their meanings, and how they became widespread.

Who knows? Maybe you will learn something amusing about your family’s name.

Popular last names

Anderson – Son of Andrew (Greek: “manly, brave”)

Baker – Occupational name for a baker

Bennett – Derived from “Benedictus,” meaning “blessed” (Latin)

Brown – Descriptive name for someone with brown hair or complexion

Carter – Occupational name for a transporter of goods by cart

Clark – Occupational name for a clerk or scholar

Collins – Derived from “Nicholas,” meaning “victory of the people”

Cook – Occupational name for a cook or chef

Cooper – Occupational name for a barrel maker

Davis – Son of David (Hebrew: “beloved”)

Dixon – Son of Dick (Richard: “brave ruler”)

Edwards – Son of Edward (Old English: “wealthy guardian”)

Evans – Son of Evan (Welsh form of John, meaning “God is gracious”)

Fisher – Occupational name for a fisherman

Foster – Occupational name for a foster parent or forester

Garcia – Possibly means “bear” (Basque/Spanish origin)

Gonzalez – Son of Gonzalo (Spanish: “battle, war”)

Graham – From a Scottish place name meaning “gravelly homestead”

Gray – Descriptive name for someone with gray hair

Green – Could refer to someone who lived near a village green or had a youthful appearance

Hall – Someone who lived in or worked at a hall

Harris – Son of Harry or Henry (Germanic: “home ruler”)

Hill – Someone who lived on or near a hill

Jackson – Son of Jack (John: “God is gracious”)

James – Derived from Jacob (Hebrew: “supplanter”)

Jenkins – Son of Jenkin (a diminutive of John)

Johnson – Son of John (Hebrew: “God is gracious”)

Jones – Son of John (Welsh variant)

Kelly – From the Irish name “Ceallach,” meaning “warrior” or “bright-headed”

King – Nickname for someone who behaved like or served a king

Lee – Derived from Old English “leah,” meaning “meadow” or “woodland”

Lewis – Derived from “Ludwig” (German: “famous warrior”)

Martinez – Son of Martin (Latin: “of Mars, the god of war”)

Miller – Occupational name for a mill worker

Mitchell – Derived from Michael (Hebrew: “who is like God?”)

Moore – Derived from “moor,” meaning a person from a marshy area

Morgan – Welsh origin, meaning “sea chief” or “great circle”

Murphy – Irish origin, meaning “descendant of Murchadh” (sea warrior)

Nelson – Son of Neil (Irish: “champion”)

Parker – Occupational name for a park keeper

Perez – Son of Pedro (Spanish form of Peter: “rock”)

Phillips – Son of Philip (Greek: “lover of horses”)

Reed – Descriptive name for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion

Richardson – Son of Richard (Germanic: “brave ruler”)

Roberts – Son of Robert (Germanic: “bright fame”)

Rodriguez – Son of Rodrigo (Spanish: “famous ruler”)

Scott – Originally referred to someone from Scotland

Smith – Occupational name for a blacksmith or metalworker

Taylor – Occupational name for a tailor

Walker – Occupational name for a cloth worker who walked on wool to thicken it

Adams – Son of Adam (Hebrew: “earth” or “man” )

Allen – Derived from Celtic, meaning “handsome” or “cheerful”

Armstrong – Nickname for a strong-armed person

Bailey – Occupational name for a bailiff or steward

Barnes – From Old English “bern,” meaning “barn” or “granary”

Bell – Occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker

Bishop – Occupational name for someone who worked for a bishop

Black – Descriptive name for someone with dark hair or complexion

Blake – Could mean “pale” (Old English) or “dark” (Old Norse)

Bradley – From a place name meaning “broad meadow”

Bryant – Derived from “Brian,” meaning “noble” or “strong”

Burns – Scottish/Irish surname meaning “stream” or “burned land”

Burton – From a place name meaning “fortified town”

Butler – Occupational name for a wine steward or servant

Campbell – Scottish origin, meaning “crooked mouth”

Carroll – Irish origin, meaning “fierce in battle”

Casey – Irish origin, meaning “vigilant” or “watchful”

Chambers – Occupational name for a servant in a chamber or household

Chapman – Occupational name for a merchant or trader

Cole – Derived from “coal,” referring to a dark complexion or coal worker

Conner – Irish origin, meaning “lover of hounds”

Cunningham – Scottish origin, meaning “milk pail settlement”

Daniels – Son of Daniel (Hebrew: “God is my judge”)

Dennis – Derived from “Dionysius,” the Greek god of wine and revelry

Douglas – Scottish origin, meaning “dark stream”

Duncan – Scottish origin, meaning “brown warrior”

Elliott – Derived from Elijah (Hebrew: “my God is Yahweh”)

Ellis – Derived from “Elijah” or “Elias,” meaning “God is my Lord”

Farmer – Occupational name for a farmer or tax collector

Ferguson – Son of Fergus (Gaelic: “man of vigor”)

Fletcher – Occupational name for an arrow maker

Ford – Someone who lived near a river crossing

Fowler – Occupational name for a bird catcher

Franklin – Occupational name for a free landowner

Freeman – Status name for someone who was not a serf or slave

Gibson – Son of Gilbert (Germanic: “bright pledge”)

Gilbert – From Old German “Gisilbert,” meaning “bright pledge”

Graves – Occupational name for a steward or land manager

Harrison – Son of Harry or Henry (Germanic: “home ruler”)

Holland – Someone from the Netherlands or low-lying land

Hopkins – Son of Hob (a medieval nickname for Robert)

Hudson – Son of Hud (a medieval name related to Hugh)

Hunter – Occupational name for a hunter

Jordan – Derived from the river Jordan, meaning “descend” (Hebrew)

Kelley – Irish origin, meaning “bright-headed” or “warrior”

Lambert – Germanic origin, meaning “bright land”

Lawrence – From Latin “Laurentius,” meaning “from Laurentum” (a Roman city)

Marshall – Occupational name for a horse servant or officer of the court

Norris – From Old French, meaning “northerner”

Webster – Occupational name for a weaver

Abbott – father or priest

Ackerman – plowed field worker

Adler – eagle

Alford – river crossing

Allison – son of Allen

Armstrong – strong arms; powerful

Atkinson – son of Atkin

Austin – venerable; dignified

Baker – bread maker

Banks – lives near riverbanks

Barrett – bear strength

Baxter – baker

Becker – maker of barley

Benson – son of Ben

Berry – dweller near berries

Blair – from the field or plain

Boone – good; blessing

Bowers – dweller in a bower

Bradshaw – broad wood

Briggs – nearby bridge

Brooks – dweller near a brook

Brophy – noble or honorable

Bryan – noble or strong

Buchanan – house of the canon

Buckley – meadow with bucks

Bullock – young bull

Calhoun – narrow or ford

Cantrell – corner or little corner

Carey – from the dark river

Carson – son of Carr

Chandler – candle maker

Collins – from the hill

Connelly – wise or valorous

Conroy – wise advisor

Copeland – purchased land

Cox – dweller near marsh

Crawford – ford near the crow

Cummings – descendant of Cumin

Danielson – son of Daniel

Davenport – market town

Davidson – son of David

Decker – roofer or thatcher

Delaney – from the slender river

Doyle – dark foreigner

Driscoll – descendant of the courageous

Duncan – dark warrior

Dunn – dark or brown

Eastman – dweller toward the east

Elliott – the Lord is my God

Erickson – son of Eric

Farrell – brave or courageous

Ferguson – son of Fergus (man of force)

Fields – open lands

Fisher – fisherman

Foley – vibrant or playful

Forrest – dweller by the woods

Fowler – bird catcher

Fox – cunning; clever

Freeman – free man

Garrett – strong spear

Gibson – son of Gibb

Gilbert – bright pledge

Glenn – valley or glen

Goodman – virtuous man

Gordon – great hill

Graham – gravelly homestead

Grant – great or large

Graves – from the grove

Gray – grey-haired or old

Green – lives near grassland

Griffin – strong lord

Haley – hero’s meadow

Hamilton – beautiful mountain

Harper – harp player

Harrison – son of Harry

Hart – deer; brave

Hawkins – son of Hawk

Hayes – hedged area

Henderson – son of Hendry

Hicks – son of Hick

Hill – dweller by the hill

Hoffman – steward of the estate

Holmes – dweller near holly trees

Howard – noble guardian

Hudson – son of Hud

Hughes – heart; mind; spirit

Hunt – hunter

Hutchinson – son of Hutchin

Irwin – friend of the sea

Jackson – son of Jack

Jefferson – son of Jeffrey

Jennings – son of John

Johnson – son of John

Jones – son of Jon

Keller – cellar keeper

Lambert – bright land

Lawrence – from Laurentum (laurel city)

Lloyd – grey or holy

Lowell – wolf cub

Marshall – horse caretaker

Mason – stone worker