Smith, Jones, Williams... Are you one of the millions of Australians sporting one of these top common last names from Australia? The following list of the most commonly occurring surnames in Australia includes details on each name's origin and meaning. It's interesting to note that the World Names Public Profile list of common Australian surnames, compiled primarily from telephone directories and electoral registers, is the first time that an Asian name -- Nguyen -- appears among the top 10 surnames in Australia.
* FPM = Frequency Per Million
1. SMITH
FPM: 12,254.2Smith is an occupational surname for a man who works with metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist skills were required. It is a craft that was practiced in all countries, making the surname and its derivations the most common of all surnames around the world.
2. JONES
FPM: 6,132.79A patronymic name meaning "son of John (God has favored or gift of God)."
3. WILLIAMS
FPM: 5,904.07The most common origin of the Williams surname is patronymic, meaning "son of William," but there are also others.
4. BROWN
FPM: 5,880.77A descriptive surname meaning "brown haired" or "brown skinned."
5. WILSON
FPM: 5,037.98An English or Scottish surname meaning "son of Will," a nickname for William.
6. TAYLOR
FPM: 4,867.51An English occupational name for a tailor, from Old French "tailleur" for "tailor" which comes from the Latin "taliare," meaning "to cut."
7. NGUYEN
FPM: 3,798.06This is the most common surname in Vietnam, but is actually of Chinese origin, meaning "musical instrument."
8. JOHNSON
FPM: 3,571.02An English patronymic surname meaning "son of John (gift of God)."
9. MARTIN
FPM: 3,314.21Patronymic surname taken from the ancient Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war.
10. WHITE
FPM: 3,304.37Generally a surname originally used to describe someone with very light hair or complexion.
