Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? The following list of the most commonly occurring surnames in America includes details on each name's origin and meaning. It's interesting to note, that since 1990, the only other time this surname report has been compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, two Hispanic surnames -- Garcia and Rodriguez -- have risen into the top 10.
41. HILL
Population Count: 411,770A name generally given to one who lived on or near a hill, derived from the Old English "hyll."
42. RAMIREZ
Population Count: 388,987A patronymic name meaning " son of Ramon (wise protector)."
43. CAMPBELL
Population Count: 371,953A Celtic surname meaning "crooked or wry mouth," from the Gaelic "cam" meaning 'crooked, distorted' and "beul" for 'mouth.'
44. MITCHELL
Population Count: 367,433A common form or corruption of Michael, meaning "big."
45. ROBERTS
Population Count: 366,215Generally a patronymic name meaning "son of Robert," or possibly directly derived from the Welsh given name Robert meaning "bright fame."
46. CARTER
Population Count: 362,548An English occupational name for a carter, or transporter of goods by cart or wagon.
47. PHILLIPS
Population Count: 351,848A patronymic surname meaning "son of Phillip." Phillip comes from the Greek name Philippos which means "friend of horses."
48. EVANS
Population Count: 342,237Often a patronymic name meaning "son of Evan."
49. TURNER
Population Count: 335,663An English occupational name, meaning "one who works with a lathe."
50. TORRES
Population Count: 325,169A name given to a person who lived in or near a tower, from the Latin "turris."
