The U.S. Census Bureau released on April 14 a set of data tables showing the most common first and last names reported in the 2020 Census.
The new data provides insights into naming trends across the United States, with breakdowns by race, Hispanic origin, and sex. The release includes national-level counts of last names by race and Hispanic origin, first names by race and Hispanic origin, as well as first names by sex. A summary table also compares the most common names from previous censuses dating back to 1790.
According to the Census Bureau, eight surnames—Brown, Davis, Johnson, Jones, Miller, Smith, Williams and Wilson—have remained among the top 15 since the nation’s first census in 1790. The data shows a notable change over time with predominantly Hispanic surnames such as Garcia, Gonzalez, Hernandez, Lopez, Martinez and Rodriguez joining the top ranks since 2000.
Between 2010 and 2020 all but one of the fastest-growing last names among the top one thousand were predominantly Asian. This shift contrasts with data from earlier decades; between 2000 and 2010 only eleven Asian surnames appeared on that list. The trend reflects changing immigration patterns in recent years.
The report also highlights that despite women outnumbering men in the country during this period, male first names like Michael, John and James remain more concentrated at the top of popularity lists than female ones such as Mary or Jennifer. Some unisex names like Harley or Quinn showed nearly equal probability for being male or female.
The files published do not contain information about specific individuals or combinations of first and last names; statistical safeguards are used to protect confidentiality. Full datasets along with methodology details can be accessed through census.gov.
