Most native american last names in the US have a mixture of origins. Many well-known last names in America are Spanish, the majority of the Top 50+ native american last names and meanings in origin.
The most frequent American surnames also include Korean, Vietnamese, Irish, Portuguese, Scottish, and German roots.
Patronymics, or last names derived from the first name of the family head, are the most common type of surname in America. Examples of these are Johnson, which means "John's son," and Jones, which refers to John's family.
In the US, a lot of common native american names are used as first names; this is a growing trend that is beginning to include more surnames that are not from the Anglo community. Two famous instances are the Scottish Campbell and the Spanish Cruz.
50 Native American Last Names And Meanings Complete Guide 2024
Rank |
Surname |
Surname Origin |
Estimated Population |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Smith |
English |
2,442,977 |
2 |
Johnson |
English, Scottish |
1,932,812 |
3 |
Williams |
English, Welsh |
1,625,252 |
4 |
Brown |
English, Scottish, Irish |
1,437,026 |
5 |
Jones |
English, Welsh |
1,425,470 |
6 |
Garcia |
Spanish |
1,166,120 |
7 |
Miller |
English, Scottish, German, French, Italian |
1,161,437 |
8 |
Davis |
English, Welsh |
1,116,357 |
9 |
Rodriguez |
Spanish |
1,094,924 |
10 |
Martinez |
Spanish |
1,060,159 |
11 |
Hernandez |
Spanish, Portuguese |
1,04,328 |
12 |
Lopez |
Spanish |
874,523 |
13 |
Gonzales |
Spanish |
841,025 |
14 |
Wilson |
English, Scottish |
801,882 |
15 |
Anderson |
Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English |
784,404 |
16 |
Thomas |
English, Welsh |
756,142 |
17 |
Taylor |
English |
751,209 |
18 |
Moore |
English |
724,374 |
19 |
Jackson |
English |
708,099 |
20 |
Martin |
English, French, Scottish, Irish, German |
702,625 |
21 |
Lee |
English, Irish, Chinese |
693,023 |
22 |
Perez |
Spanish |
681,645 |
23 |
Thompson |
English, Scottish |
664,644 |
24 |
White |
English, Scottish, Irish |
660,491 |
25 |
Harris |
English, Welsh |
624,252 |
26 |
Sanchez |
Spanish |
612,752 |
27 |
Clark |
English, Irish |
562,679 |
28 |
Ramirez |
Spanish |
557,423 |
29 |
Lewis |
English |
531,781 |
30 |
Robinson |
English, Jewish |
529,821 |
31 |
Walker |
English, Scottish |
523,189 |
32 |
Young |
English, Scottish |
484,447 |
33 |
Allen |
Scottish, English |
482,607 |
34 |
King |
English |
465,422 |
35 |
Wright |
English |
458,980 |
36 |
Scott |
English, Scottish |
439,530 |
37 |
Torres |
Spanish, Portuguese |
437,813 |
38 |
Nguyen |
Vietnamese |
437,645 |
39 |
Hill |
English |
434,827 |
40 |
Flores |
Spanish |
433,969 |
41 |
Green |
English |
430,182 |
42 |
Adams |
English, Jewish |
427,865 |
43 |
Nelson |
Irish |
424,958 |
44 |
Baker |
English |
419,586 |
45 |
Hall |
English, Scottish, German, Irish, Scandanavian |
407,076 |
46 |
Rivera |
Spanish |
391,114 |
47 |
Campbell |
Scottish, Irish |
386,157 |
48 |
Mitchell |
Scottish, English, Irish |
384,486 |
49 |
Carter |
English |
376,966 |
50 |
Roberts |
Welsh, German |
376,774 |
FAQs: Native American Last Names: A Cultural Perspective
What is the most common Native American last name?
As of now, the most well known Native American and Alaskan Local last name in America is Smith, with a complete count of 21,742 individuals who have the family name. The family name Smith happens multiple times per 100,000 individuals in the U.S
What are some Navajo surnames?
Bitsillie.
Tsinnajinnie.
Todachine.
Todacheeny.
Hatahle.
Hathale.
Deshcheenie.
Tsinajine.
Is the last name Long Native American?
Long is the 86th most famous last name in the US with starting points in English, Irish, and Chinese.
What did the Apache call God?
The central god of the Chiricahua Apache was Ussen, whose will administered all. Ussen existed before the production of the universe. He made the main Mother without any guardians who sang multiple times, a sacrosanct number to the Chiricahua Apache.10 Aug 2023