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The most popular last name in every country in the world, and what they mean
Photo: NetCredit
Matthew Meltzer
Jan 3, 2020
587
IF EVERYONE IN America named Smith formed their own state, it would be the 35th most populous state in America. Let that sink in.
And while our country and a number of other English-speaking nations have an abundance of Smiths, every country in the world has its own ubiquitous name, where it seems like you’re never in a class, workplace, or on any list without 10 other people having the same name. To find that name in every country in the world, NetCredit took a look at data from Ancestry.com and Oxford reference, and found not only the most popular surname in each nation but also what they all mean.
The answers below are far more interesting than you might think — and will definitely make you a bar trivia god this weekend.
Editor’s Note: For concision’s sake, we’ve only broken down the etymology of each name once, at its first inclusion, and added other fun facts when appropriate as the name comes up again. Countries that belong to two continents are grouped under according to map representation. This list also excludes territories.
North America
Photo: NetCredit
Antigua and Barbuda
Joseph
Family name derived from the Hebrew name “Yosef,” meaning “May God have another son.” One of three Caribbean islands where this is the most common name.
Bahamas
Rolle
Like many Caribbean surnames, Rolle is taken from a European name passed on to enslaved people from early colonizers. This one is the Middle High German rolle, which, much like it does today, means “list” or “roster.” It may have referred to someone who worked as a scribe.
Barbados
Clarke
Taken from Olde English clerc, which means “priest.” May have denoted a religious clerk or scribe.
Belize
Martinez
Derived from the Latin name Martinus, a reference to Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war.
Canada
Smith
Occupational name for someone who works with metal.
Costa Rica
Rodriguez
Derived from the Germanic word hrōdrīc, which is a compound of hrōd — meaning “renown” — and rīc, meaning “power.”
Cuba
Rodriguez
Five countries have Rodriguez as their most popular name, the most of any in Latin America.
Dominica
Joseph
Dominican Republic
Rodriguez
El Salvador
Hernandez
Related to “Fernandez,” which is derived from Ferdinand, an Old German combination of farð — meaning “journey” — and nanð — meaning “courage” or “daring.” Collectively, it translates to “bold voyager.” Literally “son of Hernando” or “son of Fernando.” Meaning Fernandez and Hernandez are almost the same name.
Grenada
Charles
French form of the Germanic word carl, which means “man.”
Guatemala
Lopez
Means “wolf.”
Haiti
Jean
French for John, which like Johannes means “God has favored me with a son,” or “bless this child.”
Honduras
Hernandez
Jamaica
Brown
This term refers to physical appearance, specifically someone with brown hair and/or complexion.
Mexico
Hernandez
Over 4.8 million Mexicans have this last name, a full 1.3 million more than second-place Garcia.
Nicaragua
Lopez
One in 27 people in Nicaragua have this wolf-meaning name.
Panama
Rodriguez
St. Kitts and Nevis
Williams
Derived from William, which is a combination of the Germanic will, meaning “want” or “desire,” and helm, meaning “helmet.”
St. Lucia
Joseph
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Williams
Trinidad and Tobago
Mohammed
A reference to the great Islamic prophet, which in Arabic also means “praiseworthy.” Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean nation where the most popular surnames are Arabic, with Mohammed and Ali ranking first and second.
United States
Smith
Nearly 3 million Americans are named Smith, followed closely by Johnson with 2.3 million and Williams with 1.9 million. Rounding out the American top 10 are Brown; Jones; Miller; Davis; Wilson; Anderson; and Taylor.
South America
Photo: NetCredit
Argentina
Gonzalez
This literally means “son of Gonzalo,” and though you don’t meet a lot of Gonzalos walking around these days, back in medieval times you did meet a good number of Gundisalvus’. This was a Latin version of a Germanic name combining the words gund — meaning “war” — and salv, with a meaning that’s unclear. So, to summarize, Gonzalez means “son of war.”
Bolivia
Mamani
Refers to someone who came from the Spanish town of Miaman, which is present-day Ourense. One could draw the conclusion that many Spanish settlers in Bolivia came from that region.
Brazil
da Silva
Means someone from a number of places called Silva, which means “thicket” or
“bramble.”
Chile
Gonzalez
Colombia
Rodriguez
Ecuador
Garcia
Its exact origin is unclear though the name dates to medieval times and is likely related to a Basque word meaning either “young” or “bear.”
Guyana
Persaud
West Indian alteration of Indian name Prasad, from the Sanskrit prasada, meaning “favor,” “grace,” or “offering.”
Paraguay
Gonzalez
Peru
Quispe
From Aymara word for “glass” or “precious stone.”
Suriname
Lin
From a Chinese root word for “forest.”
Uruguay
Rodriguez
Venezuela
Gonzalez
Europe
Photo: NetCredit
Albania
Hoxha
Derived from a Persian word khvajeh, which means “lord.”
Andorra
Garcia
This independent country sandwiched between France and Spain has more Spanish-leaning names.
Armenia
Gregoryan
The most common name in Armenia is taken from the proper name Grigor, from the Greek Gregorios — meaning “to be awake” or “watchful.”
Austria
Gruber
Austria’s most common name is taken from the Middle High German word groube, which means “pit” or “hollow.” Basically it refers to one who lives in a depression, hollow, or other lowered area.
Belarus
Ivanov
Means “son of Ivan.”
Belgium
Peeters
Taken from the name Petrus, which means “rock” or “stone.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hodžić
This name taken from the word hoza means “son of the lord” or “son of the master.” Its root is from the Persian word khawaja, meaning “lord” or “master.”
Bulgaria
Ivanov
One of three countries where the most common name is a descendant of Ivan.
Croatia
Horvat
Taken from Croatian word hrvat, which means “person from Croatia.” This would be like if the most common name here was actually Johnny America.
Cyprus
Georgiou
If you’ve traveled the rural countryside of this Mediterranean island then it’s not much surprise its most common name means “rustic” or “farmer.”
Czech Republic
Novakova
When the most common name in your country comes from a Slavic word for “newcomer,” it must get confusing to know who has actually lived there a while.
Denmark
Jensen
Shortened version of “son of Johannes.” Johannes is a version of John, Jean, and other variants, which means “Jehovah has favored me with a son” or “God bless this child.”
Estonia
Tamm
Means “oak tree” or “dam.”
Finland
Korhonen
Gotta love those playful Finns, whose most common surname comes from the word korho, which literally means “deaf person” but is also used to describe someone who is clumsy, silly, or foolish.
France
Martin
Like Martinez, this name is derived from Mars, the Roman god of war and fertility.
Germany
Müller
Also Mueller, referring to one who mills grain. Any surprise this country’s good at beer?
Greece
Papadopoulos
Combination of papas, which means “priest” in Greek, and poulus, which means “son.” So we can assume Greek priests were not a celibate order.
Hungary
Nagy
Hungarian word for “big,” referring to a large or powerful person.
Iceland
Jónsdóttir
Fairly self-explanatory if you read it out loud, this means “daughter of John” in Icelandic.
Ireland
Murphy
No surprise as this is also the most common name for any American bar that offers two-for-one shots of Jameson, Murphy comes from the Gaelic name Ó Murchadha, meaning “descendant of Murchadh,” a personal name meaning “sea-warrior.”
Italy
Rossi
Interesting to see the most common name of stereotypically dark-haired, olive-skinned Italians refers to a person with red hair and a ruddy complexion.
Kosovo
Krasniqi
A descendant from the Krasniqi tribe of northern Albania.
Latvia
Bērziņš
Related to bērzs, the Latvian word for birch trees, this literally means “one who lives among birch trees.”
Liechtenstein
Büchel
From the Middle High German bühel — which loosely translates to “hill” — this name refers to someone living on a hill.
Lithuania
Kazlauskas
Name related to the familiarly-Polish Kozlowski, it literally means someone from any number of places called Kozłów.
Luxembourg
Schmit
Middle High German version of Schmidt — or Smith. Literally, it’s the “Smith” of Luxembourg.
Macedonia
Stojanovski
The “Stojanov” part of the name is of unknown Macedonian origin, but the “ski” suffix is the result of the government’s effort to make names sound more Greek.
Malta
Borg
Old Norse word meaning “fortification” or “fort.”
Moldova
Rusu
Refers to a person of Russian descent, like Ruski.
Country Music in Calgary, Alberta
Monaco
Rossi
One family can tip the scales in Monaco, as the 89 Rossis could be easily overtaken by the Lorenzis, who number 67.
Montenegro
Popovic
Not a nation of die-hard Spurs fans, this name is a mixture of the Serbian word for priest, pop, and the suffix “ovich,” which means “son of.”
Netherlands
de Jong
Dutch name meaning “young.”
Norway
Hansen
Old Norse word meaning “creators of annoyingly catchy songs.” Or it’s a derivative of Hans, which is an aphetic form of Johannes.
Poland
Nowak
Derived from the Polish word nowy, meaning “new.” Denotes a newcomer or someone new to the area.
Portugal
Silva
This is close to the most popular name in Brazil too, meaning “person from a thicket.”
Romania
Popa
From Romanian word popa, meaning “priest.”
San Marino
Gasperoni
From the Latin word gasparus, which comes from the Persian word kaspar, meaning “treasurer.”
Serbia
Jovanovic
Meaning “son of Jovan,” another of the Jean/John/Johannes family.
Slovakia
Varga
From the Hungarian word for “cobbler” or “shoemaker.”
Slovenia
Novak
From Slavic word for “new,” meaning one is a newcomer.
Spain
Garcia
Almost 1.5 million people in Spain have this name from a Basque word for “bear.”
Sweden
Andersson
Meaning son of Anders, which is ultimately derived from the Greek andreios, meaning “manly.”
Switzerland
Müller
Turkey
Yilmaz
Turkish name meaning “unyielding.”
Ukraine
Melnik
Russian occupational name for miller, or one who works with grain.
United Kingdom
Smith
Guessing there were a LOT of people working with metal in old-timey England.
Vatican City
Bachmann
Exactly four people with this name live in Vatican City. If one more Graf moves in, it’ll drop to #2.
Africa
Photo: NetCredit
Algeria
Saidi
Ancestral name and derivative of the word sayyid, which means “lord” or “master.”
Angola
Manuel
Manuel is short for Emmanuel, which if you paid attention to all those Christmas carols you may recall as Immanuel — Hebrew for “God is with us.”
Benin
Bio
Unknown.
Botswana
Molefe
The father of the Batlôkwa tribe — found in Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa — was named Modungwane. This name is thought to be from its commonly-used shortened version, Molefe.
Burkina Faso
Ouedraogo
A little like how immigration officials at Ellis Island shaped American surnames in the 20th century, so did the French in their former African colonies. This name is a French spelling of Wedraogo, son of Princess Yennega, the mother of the Mossi people.
Burundi
Nkurunziza
Bantu name meaning “good news.”
Cameroon
Ngo
Proto-Indo-European word meaning “ox” or “bull.”
Cape Verde
Lopes
From the medieval word lopo, which means “wolf.” Lopes itself is Portuguese, stemming from Cape Verde’s time as a colony of Portugal.
Central African Republic
Moussa
Variant of Musa, a reference to Moses.
Chad
Mahamat
African variant of Mohammad.
Comoros
Mohamed
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Kone
Unknown.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ilunga
A highly-efficient Bantu word meaning “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time.”
Djibouti
Mohamed
Egypt
Mohamed
Equatorial Guinea
Nguema
Eritrea
Ali
The name referring to the all-high was also the name of Ali IbnAbi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed.
eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)
Dlamini
A fifth of the country has this name relating to the Dlamini people.
Ethiopia
Tesfaye
Taken from tesfa, which means “my hope” in Amharic.
Gabon
Ndong
Unknown. The tenth-most popular name here? Obame.
The Gambia
Jallow
Fula name that comes from the Arabic word jalil, “meaning greatness.”
Ghana
Mensah
Name for the third-born child in Akan, a language native to Ghana.
Guinea
Diallo
Another French colonial spelling of a native name, this Fula name means “bold.”
Guinea-Bissau
Gomes
Taken from the Visigoth name “Guma,” which means “man.”
Kenya
Mwangi
Means “rapid expansion” in Kikuyu.
Lesotho
Mohapi
Sotho word for “victor” or “champion.”
Liberia
Kollie
Distantly derived from Old Norse word kollir, meaning “helmet.”
Libya
Ali
Madagascar
Rakotomalalav
Rakoto is actually quite common in Malagasy surnames, with the three most popular beginning with this prefix, and four of the top 10. This version is blended with the word malawi, which means “beloved.” All 10 of the most popular names begin with the letter R, which probably makes alphabetizing in Madagascar a nightmare.
Malawi
Banda
Forgive Malawians if they have a bit of an ego, but when your most common name literally translates to “I am a gift from God,” it can be hard to stay humble. Malawi’s first prime minister was named Hastings Banda, and as it is customary in this part of Africa to have surnames that speak to life aspirations, he may also be responsible for much of its popularity.
Mali
Traore
Originally this name was something more along the lines of “Tarawele,” a Manding word meaning “the called ones,” referring to calls to battle. But when French colonizers began writing it down, the name took on this form.
Mauritania
Ba
A couple of possibilities here: First, it could be a Fula prefix denoting where someone comes from, like Ba-Sudan. But it could also be a shortened form of aba, the Arabic word for father.
Mauritius
Beeharry
Sadly, this is not a last name that excuses its owners from body hair maintenance, nor is it a reference to a furry insect. Rather it comes from the Sanskrit word vihara, which means “one who roams about for pleasure.”
Morocco
Alaoui
This is essentially the same as Ali, but a French transcription.
Mozambique
Langa
Bantu word meaning “sun” or “light.”
Namibia
Johannes
German derivative of John.
Niger
Abdou
Derived from the Arabic abduh, which means “his servant.” Though in this case the “him” is Allah.
Nigeria
Ibrahim
Arabic for Abraham, the father of all Semitic peoples.
Republic of the Congo
Ngoma
Means “song,” “drum,” or the song made by beating a drum.
Rwanda
Uwimana
Rwandan origin meaning “daughter of God.”
Sao Tome and Principe
Fernandes
Literally is “son of Fernando,” though that name is taken from the Gothic name Frithunanths. Broken down it’s “frith,” which means “peace with,” and “nanth” which means “daring.”
Senegal
Ndiaye
From Arabic nadīy, meaning “generous.”
Seychelles
Hoareau
You can credit Rene Hoareau, one of the first French settlers in the Seychelles, with the popularity of this name.
Sierra Leone
Kamara
Derived from the Aribic word qamar, meaning “moon.”
Somalia
Ali
Combined with Abdi, the second-most popular name in Somalia, about 1.9 million of Somalia’s 14.74 million people have some derivative of a name meaning “all high” or “lofty.”
South Africa
Nkosi
Means “god” or “king.”
South Sudan
Deng
It’s no coincidence in the tropical climate of South Sudan, the Dinki people’s most powerful god is Deng, the god of rain.
Sudan
Ahmed
Alternate spelling of Ahmad, a word meaning “most praised” in reference to the prophet Mohammed. It’s also the second- or third-most popular name in a number of Islamic countries.
Tanzania
Juma
Derived from the Arabic word jum’a, which means “assembly.” The name is often given to people born on Friday, the “day of assembly” in Islam.
Togo
Lawson
Literally means “son of Lawrence,” but proliferated in Togo due to the slave trade.
Tunisia
Trabelsi
Refers to people from Tripoli in Libya. Pronounced “trablus” in Maghrebi Arabic.
Uganda
Akello
A term from the Luo people meaning a child born after twins.
Zambia
Phiri
This is the name of a clan from the Chewa people, who inhabit central and southern Africa.
Zimbabwe
Moyo
Zimbabwean name meaning “the heart.”
Asia
Photo: NetCredit
Afghanistan
Muhammadi
A derivative of Mohammad.
Azerbaijan
Mammadova
Means “son of Mammad.”
Bahrain
Ali
From the Arabic Al-Ali, which means “all high.” It can also mean “lofty” or “sublime,” and is a reference to Allah, the almighty god in Islam.
Bangladesh
Akter
A variant on the Arabic word akhtar, meaning “star” or “good luck.” Ironic for a country that seems to never catch a break.
Brunei
Haji
Reference to one who has made the hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
Cambodia
Sok
The word means “thick rope or chain” in Cantonese, but may also refer to people from Suo, a Chinese state during the Shang dynasty.
China
Wang
If you thought that Smith stat in the intro was crazy, if everyone in China named Wang formed a country it would be the 14th most-populous in the world, right between the Philippines and Egypt. Over 103 million people share this name that means prince, king, or vast.
Georgia
Beridze
Unknown.
India
Devi
From Sanskrit word for “goddess.”
Indonesia
Sari
Indonesian word for “essence.”
Iran
Mohammadi
Iraq
Mohamed
Israel
Cohen
From the Hebrew kohen, meaning priest. This referred mostly to the kohanim caste of priests, descended from Moses’ brother Aaron.
Japan
Sato
This denotes a descendant of the Sato family, a branch of the Fujiwara clan dating back to the ninth century.
Jordan
Allah
Kazakhstan
Kim
Translates to “gold.”
Kuwait
Ali
Kyrgyzstan
Ismailova
From the Uyghur name for Ismael, the son of Abraham, whose name means “God will hear.” The -ova suffix makes this “son of Ismael.”
Laos
Inthavong
Unknown Laotian term.
Lebanon
El Din
Combination of Arabic words el — meaning “god” — and din — meaning religion or faith. So, effectively, this means “god faith” or “faith in “god.”
Malaysia
Tan
Refers to people from the Zhou dynasty-era state of Tan.
Maldives
Mohamed
Mongolia
Ganbold
Just when you thought Mongolia couldn’t get any more badass, you learn the most common name in the country means steel.
Myanmar
Maung
Burmese term of honor for a younger brother.
Nepal
Caudhari
Sanskrit word meaning “holder of four,” which may refer to the amount of land someone owns.
North Korea
Kim
A full 25 percent of North Koreans have this last name, which is a reference to “gold.”
Oman
Al Balushi
Al Balushi is not the long lost third member of a great Chicago comedy family, but rather a tribal surname meaning someone is of Baloch ancestry.
Pakistan
Khan
From Turkish word meaning “ruler” or “nobleman.” You’re yelling it like William Shatner in your head right now, aren’t you?
Palestine
Awad
Based on Arabic word for reverence or kindness.
Philippines
de la Cruz
Filipino take on the French name “de la Croix,” which means “of the cross.” Pacquiao did not crack the top 10. Yet.
Qatar
Khan
Just when you’d gotten Captain Kirk out of your head…
Russia
Ivanova
Saudi Arabia
Khan
Singapore
Tan
Over 723,000 people, or one in eight Singaporeans, has this name from the Tan state of the Zhou dynasty.
South Korea
Kim
Over 11 million, or one in five, South Koreans are named Kim.
Sri Lanka
Perera
From the Portuguese word pereira, meaning “palm tree.”
Syria
Khaled
From the Arabic word khalid, meaning “eternal” or “remaining.”
Taiwan
Chen
Refers to people from the Chen region, in Henan province.
Tajikistan
Sharipov
Literally means “son of Sharip,” which is a Tajik version of Sharif. Who, as you may recall, don’t like it.
Thailand
Saetang
Thai variation of Chen, the most popular name in a number of other Asian countries referring to people from Chen in the Henan province.
Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Soares
From Portueguese word soeiro, meaning “swineherd.”
Turkmenistan
Mamedova
Means “son of Mammad.”
United Arab Emirates
Ali
Of the seven countries where Ali or some form of it is the most popular surname, this is the only one with an indoor ski slope.
Uzbekistan
Karimov
Unknown.
Vietnam
Nguyen
Vietnamese version of the Chinese word ruan, which is a type of lute.
Yemen
Mohamed
That’s over 10 countries, if you were counting, where some version of Mohamed is the most popular name.
Oceania
05_The-most-common-last-name-in-every-country_NorthAmerica
Australia
Smith
Smith, to exactly no one’s surprise, is the most common name in five countries, which also happen to be the largest majority of English-speaking countries in the world.
Fiji
Kumar
From the Sanskrit kumara, which means “son,” “child,” or “prince.” Prince of a white castle, perhaps?
Kiribati
Ioane
Member of the John/Jean/Johannes family of etymology.
Marshall Islands
John
Same as Jean, Johannes, and other versions of the “blessed with a son” name.
Micronesia
Mori
From a Japanese word for “forest,” that more specifically means the hallowed ground around a shrine.
Nauru
Harris
Derived from the English name Harry, which is a combination of the Germanic word haim, which means “home.” And rīc, meaning “power” or “ruler.”
New Zealand
Smith
Palau
Tellei
This island nation of just over 21,000 only has seven last names with over 400 people. The origin of this most-popular one is unknown.
Papua New Guinea
John
The two next most popular surnames here are Peter and Paul, and the entire top 10 are English names of biblical origin.
Samoa
Meredith
Taken from the Welsh name Maredudd, a combination of words meaning “pomp” and “lord.”
Solomon Islands
Mae
Japanese for “front” or “before.”
Tonga
Latu
About 2,700 Tongans have this native name of unknown meaning.
Tuvalu
Apinelu
Technically, this tied with Smith for most popular name in this small Pacific island nation. But really, don’t we have enough Smiths on this list?
Vanuatu
Tari
Native name of unknown origin beat out yet-another John by 1,400 people.
https://matadornetwork.com/read/pop...1UiOBsCUix2ZF8H2vRAduTTMRvU2KkNE1iSjF1zg2ASa0
Photo: NetCredit
Matthew Meltzer
Jan 3, 2020
587
IF EVERYONE IN America named Smith formed their own state, it would be the 35th most populous state in America. Let that sink in.
And while our country and a number of other English-speaking nations have an abundance of Smiths, every country in the world has its own ubiquitous name, where it seems like you’re never in a class, workplace, or on any list without 10 other people having the same name. To find that name in every country in the world, NetCredit took a look at data from Ancestry.com and Oxford reference, and found not only the most popular surname in each nation but also what they all mean.
The answers below are far more interesting than you might think — and will definitely make you a bar trivia god this weekend.
Editor’s Note: For concision’s sake, we’ve only broken down the etymology of each name once, at its first inclusion, and added other fun facts when appropriate as the name comes up again. Countries that belong to two continents are grouped under according to map representation. This list also excludes territories.
North America
Photo: NetCredit
Antigua and Barbuda
Joseph
Family name derived from the Hebrew name “Yosef,” meaning “May God have another son.” One of three Caribbean islands where this is the most common name.
Bahamas
Rolle
Like many Caribbean surnames, Rolle is taken from a European name passed on to enslaved people from early colonizers. This one is the Middle High German rolle, which, much like it does today, means “list” or “roster.” It may have referred to someone who worked as a scribe.
Barbados
Clarke
Taken from Olde English clerc, which means “priest.” May have denoted a religious clerk or scribe.
Belize
Martinez
Derived from the Latin name Martinus, a reference to Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war.
Canada
Smith
Occupational name for someone who works with metal.
Costa Rica
Rodriguez
Derived from the Germanic word hrōdrīc, which is a compound of hrōd — meaning “renown” — and rīc, meaning “power.”
Cuba
Rodriguez
Five countries have Rodriguez as their most popular name, the most of any in Latin America.
Dominica
Joseph
Dominican Republic
Rodriguez
El Salvador
Hernandez
Related to “Fernandez,” which is derived from Ferdinand, an Old German combination of farð — meaning “journey” — and nanð — meaning “courage” or “daring.” Collectively, it translates to “bold voyager.” Literally “son of Hernando” or “son of Fernando.” Meaning Fernandez and Hernandez are almost the same name.
Grenada
Charles
French form of the Germanic word carl, which means “man.”
Guatemala
Lopez
Means “wolf.”
Haiti
Jean
French for John, which like Johannes means “God has favored me with a son,” or “bless this child.”
Honduras
Hernandez
Jamaica
Brown
This term refers to physical appearance, specifically someone with brown hair and/or complexion.
Mexico
Hernandez
Over 4.8 million Mexicans have this last name, a full 1.3 million more than second-place Garcia.
Nicaragua
Lopez
One in 27 people in Nicaragua have this wolf-meaning name.
Panama
Rodriguez
St. Kitts and Nevis
Williams
Derived from William, which is a combination of the Germanic will, meaning “want” or “desire,” and helm, meaning “helmet.”
St. Lucia
Joseph
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Williams
Trinidad and Tobago
Mohammed
A reference to the great Islamic prophet, which in Arabic also means “praiseworthy.” Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean nation where the most popular surnames are Arabic, with Mohammed and Ali ranking first and second.
United States
Smith
Nearly 3 million Americans are named Smith, followed closely by Johnson with 2.3 million and Williams with 1.9 million. Rounding out the American top 10 are Brown; Jones; Miller; Davis; Wilson; Anderson; and Taylor.
South America
Photo: NetCredit
Argentina
Gonzalez
This literally means “son of Gonzalo,” and though you don’t meet a lot of Gonzalos walking around these days, back in medieval times you did meet a good number of Gundisalvus’. This was a Latin version of a Germanic name combining the words gund — meaning “war” — and salv, with a meaning that’s unclear. So, to summarize, Gonzalez means “son of war.”
Bolivia
Mamani
Refers to someone who came from the Spanish town of Miaman, which is present-day Ourense. One could draw the conclusion that many Spanish settlers in Bolivia came from that region.
Brazil
da Silva
Means someone from a number of places called Silva, which means “thicket” or
“bramble.”
Chile
Gonzalez
Colombia
Rodriguez
Ecuador
Garcia
Its exact origin is unclear though the name dates to medieval times and is likely related to a Basque word meaning either “young” or “bear.”
Guyana
Persaud
West Indian alteration of Indian name Prasad, from the Sanskrit prasada, meaning “favor,” “grace,” or “offering.”
Paraguay
Gonzalez
Peru
Quispe
From Aymara word for “glass” or “precious stone.”
Suriname
Lin
From a Chinese root word for “forest.”
Uruguay
Rodriguez
Venezuela
Gonzalez
Europe
Photo: NetCredit
Albania
Hoxha
Derived from a Persian word khvajeh, which means “lord.”
Andorra
Garcia
This independent country sandwiched between France and Spain has more Spanish-leaning names.
Armenia
Gregoryan
The most common name in Armenia is taken from the proper name Grigor, from the Greek Gregorios — meaning “to be awake” or “watchful.”
Austria
Gruber
Austria’s most common name is taken from the Middle High German word groube, which means “pit” or “hollow.” Basically it refers to one who lives in a depression, hollow, or other lowered area.
Belarus
Ivanov
Means “son of Ivan.”
Belgium
Peeters
Taken from the name Petrus, which means “rock” or “stone.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hodžić
This name taken from the word hoza means “son of the lord” or “son of the master.” Its root is from the Persian word khawaja, meaning “lord” or “master.”
Bulgaria
Ivanov
One of three countries where the most common name is a descendant of Ivan.
Croatia
Horvat
Taken from Croatian word hrvat, which means “person from Croatia.” This would be like if the most common name here was actually Johnny America.
Cyprus
Georgiou
If you’ve traveled the rural countryside of this Mediterranean island then it’s not much surprise its most common name means “rustic” or “farmer.”
Czech Republic
Novakova
When the most common name in your country comes from a Slavic word for “newcomer,” it must get confusing to know who has actually lived there a while.
Denmark
Jensen
Shortened version of “son of Johannes.” Johannes is a version of John, Jean, and other variants, which means “Jehovah has favored me with a son” or “God bless this child.”
Estonia
Tamm
Means “oak tree” or “dam.”
Finland
Korhonen
Gotta love those playful Finns, whose most common surname comes from the word korho, which literally means “deaf person” but is also used to describe someone who is clumsy, silly, or foolish.
France
Martin
Like Martinez, this name is derived from Mars, the Roman god of war and fertility.
Germany
Müller
Also Mueller, referring to one who mills grain. Any surprise this country’s good at beer?
Greece
Papadopoulos
Combination of papas, which means “priest” in Greek, and poulus, which means “son.” So we can assume Greek priests were not a celibate order.
Hungary
Nagy
Hungarian word for “big,” referring to a large or powerful person.
Iceland
Jónsdóttir
Fairly self-explanatory if you read it out loud, this means “daughter of John” in Icelandic.
Ireland
Murphy
No surprise as this is also the most common name for any American bar that offers two-for-one shots of Jameson, Murphy comes from the Gaelic name Ó Murchadha, meaning “descendant of Murchadh,” a personal name meaning “sea-warrior.”
Italy
Rossi
Interesting to see the most common name of stereotypically dark-haired, olive-skinned Italians refers to a person with red hair and a ruddy complexion.
Kosovo
Krasniqi
A descendant from the Krasniqi tribe of northern Albania.
Latvia
Bērziņš
Related to bērzs, the Latvian word for birch trees, this literally means “one who lives among birch trees.”
Liechtenstein
Büchel
From the Middle High German bühel — which loosely translates to “hill” — this name refers to someone living on a hill.
Lithuania
Kazlauskas
Name related to the familiarly-Polish Kozlowski, it literally means someone from any number of places called Kozłów.
Luxembourg
Schmit
Middle High German version of Schmidt — or Smith. Literally, it’s the “Smith” of Luxembourg.
Macedonia
Stojanovski
The “Stojanov” part of the name is of unknown Macedonian origin, but the “ski” suffix is the result of the government’s effort to make names sound more Greek.
Malta
Borg
Old Norse word meaning “fortification” or “fort.”
Moldova
Rusu
Refers to a person of Russian descent, like Ruski.
Country Music in Calgary, Alberta
Monaco
Rossi
One family can tip the scales in Monaco, as the 89 Rossis could be easily overtaken by the Lorenzis, who number 67.
Montenegro
Popovic
Not a nation of die-hard Spurs fans, this name is a mixture of the Serbian word for priest, pop, and the suffix “ovich,” which means “son of.”
Netherlands
de Jong
Dutch name meaning “young.”
Norway
Hansen
Old Norse word meaning “creators of annoyingly catchy songs.” Or it’s a derivative of Hans, which is an aphetic form of Johannes.
Poland
Nowak
Derived from the Polish word nowy, meaning “new.” Denotes a newcomer or someone new to the area.
Portugal
Silva
This is close to the most popular name in Brazil too, meaning “person from a thicket.”
Romania
Popa
From Romanian word popa, meaning “priest.”
San Marino
Gasperoni
From the Latin word gasparus, which comes from the Persian word kaspar, meaning “treasurer.”
Serbia
Jovanovic
Meaning “son of Jovan,” another of the Jean/John/Johannes family.
Slovakia
Varga
From the Hungarian word for “cobbler” or “shoemaker.”
Slovenia
Novak
From Slavic word for “new,” meaning one is a newcomer.
Spain
Garcia
Almost 1.5 million people in Spain have this name from a Basque word for “bear.”
Sweden
Andersson
Meaning son of Anders, which is ultimately derived from the Greek andreios, meaning “manly.”
Switzerland
Müller
Turkey
Yilmaz
Turkish name meaning “unyielding.”
Ukraine
Melnik
Russian occupational name for miller, or one who works with grain.
United Kingdom
Smith
Guessing there were a LOT of people working with metal in old-timey England.
Vatican City
Bachmann
Exactly four people with this name live in Vatican City. If one more Graf moves in, it’ll drop to #2.
Africa
Photo: NetCredit
Algeria
Saidi
Ancestral name and derivative of the word sayyid, which means “lord” or “master.”
Angola
Manuel
Manuel is short for Emmanuel, which if you paid attention to all those Christmas carols you may recall as Immanuel — Hebrew for “God is with us.”
Benin
Bio
Unknown.
Botswana
Molefe
The father of the Batlôkwa tribe — found in Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa — was named Modungwane. This name is thought to be from its commonly-used shortened version, Molefe.
Burkina Faso
Ouedraogo
A little like how immigration officials at Ellis Island shaped American surnames in the 20th century, so did the French in their former African colonies. This name is a French spelling of Wedraogo, son of Princess Yennega, the mother of the Mossi people.
Burundi
Nkurunziza
Bantu name meaning “good news.”
Cameroon
Ngo
Proto-Indo-European word meaning “ox” or “bull.”
Cape Verde
Lopes
From the medieval word lopo, which means “wolf.” Lopes itself is Portuguese, stemming from Cape Verde’s time as a colony of Portugal.
Central African Republic
Moussa
Variant of Musa, a reference to Moses.
Chad
Mahamat
African variant of Mohammad.
Comoros
Mohamed
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Kone
Unknown.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ilunga
A highly-efficient Bantu word meaning “a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time.”
Djibouti
Mohamed
Egypt
Mohamed
Equatorial Guinea
Nguema
Eritrea
Ali
The name referring to the all-high was also the name of Ali IbnAbi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed.
eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)
Dlamini
A fifth of the country has this name relating to the Dlamini people.
Ethiopia
Tesfaye
Taken from tesfa, which means “my hope” in Amharic.
Gabon
Ndong
Unknown. The tenth-most popular name here? Obame.
The Gambia
Jallow
Fula name that comes from the Arabic word jalil, “meaning greatness.”
Ghana
Mensah
Name for the third-born child in Akan, a language native to Ghana.
Guinea
Diallo
Another French colonial spelling of a native name, this Fula name means “bold.”
Guinea-Bissau
Gomes
Taken from the Visigoth name “Guma,” which means “man.”
Kenya
Mwangi
Means “rapid expansion” in Kikuyu.
Lesotho
Mohapi
Sotho word for “victor” or “champion.”
Liberia
Kollie
Distantly derived from Old Norse word kollir, meaning “helmet.”
Libya
Ali
Madagascar
Rakotomalalav
Rakoto is actually quite common in Malagasy surnames, with the three most popular beginning with this prefix, and four of the top 10. This version is blended with the word malawi, which means “beloved.” All 10 of the most popular names begin with the letter R, which probably makes alphabetizing in Madagascar a nightmare.
Malawi
Banda
Forgive Malawians if they have a bit of an ego, but when your most common name literally translates to “I am a gift from God,” it can be hard to stay humble. Malawi’s first prime minister was named Hastings Banda, and as it is customary in this part of Africa to have surnames that speak to life aspirations, he may also be responsible for much of its popularity.
Mali
Traore
Originally this name was something more along the lines of “Tarawele,” a Manding word meaning “the called ones,” referring to calls to battle. But when French colonizers began writing it down, the name took on this form.
Mauritania
Ba
A couple of possibilities here: First, it could be a Fula prefix denoting where someone comes from, like Ba-Sudan. But it could also be a shortened form of aba, the Arabic word for father.
Mauritius
Beeharry
Sadly, this is not a last name that excuses its owners from body hair maintenance, nor is it a reference to a furry insect. Rather it comes from the Sanskrit word vihara, which means “one who roams about for pleasure.”
Morocco
Alaoui
This is essentially the same as Ali, but a French transcription.
Mozambique
Langa
Bantu word meaning “sun” or “light.”
Namibia
Johannes
German derivative of John.
Niger
Abdou
Derived from the Arabic abduh, which means “his servant.” Though in this case the “him” is Allah.
Nigeria
Ibrahim
Arabic for Abraham, the father of all Semitic peoples.
Republic of the Congo
Ngoma
Means “song,” “drum,” or the song made by beating a drum.
Rwanda
Uwimana
Rwandan origin meaning “daughter of God.”
Sao Tome and Principe
Fernandes
Literally is “son of Fernando,” though that name is taken from the Gothic name Frithunanths. Broken down it’s “frith,” which means “peace with,” and “nanth” which means “daring.”
Senegal
Ndiaye
From Arabic nadīy, meaning “generous.”
Seychelles
Hoareau
You can credit Rene Hoareau, one of the first French settlers in the Seychelles, with the popularity of this name.
Sierra Leone
Kamara
Derived from the Aribic word qamar, meaning “moon.”
Somalia
Ali
Combined with Abdi, the second-most popular name in Somalia, about 1.9 million of Somalia’s 14.74 million people have some derivative of a name meaning “all high” or “lofty.”
South Africa
Nkosi
Means “god” or “king.”
South Sudan
Deng
It’s no coincidence in the tropical climate of South Sudan, the Dinki people’s most powerful god is Deng, the god of rain.
Sudan
Ahmed
Alternate spelling of Ahmad, a word meaning “most praised” in reference to the prophet Mohammed. It’s also the second- or third-most popular name in a number of Islamic countries.
Tanzania
Juma
Derived from the Arabic word jum’a, which means “assembly.” The name is often given to people born on Friday, the “day of assembly” in Islam.
Togo
Lawson
Literally means “son of Lawrence,” but proliferated in Togo due to the slave trade.
Tunisia
Trabelsi
Refers to people from Tripoli in Libya. Pronounced “trablus” in Maghrebi Arabic.
Uganda
Akello
A term from the Luo people meaning a child born after twins.
Zambia
Phiri
This is the name of a clan from the Chewa people, who inhabit central and southern Africa.
Zimbabwe
Moyo
Zimbabwean name meaning “the heart.”
Asia
Photo: NetCredit
Afghanistan
Muhammadi
A derivative of Mohammad.
Azerbaijan
Mammadova
Means “son of Mammad.”
Bahrain
Ali
From the Arabic Al-Ali, which means “all high.” It can also mean “lofty” or “sublime,” and is a reference to Allah, the almighty god in Islam.
Bangladesh
Akter
A variant on the Arabic word akhtar, meaning “star” or “good luck.” Ironic for a country that seems to never catch a break.
Brunei
Haji
Reference to one who has made the hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
Cambodia
Sok
The word means “thick rope or chain” in Cantonese, but may also refer to people from Suo, a Chinese state during the Shang dynasty.
China
Wang
If you thought that Smith stat in the intro was crazy, if everyone in China named Wang formed a country it would be the 14th most-populous in the world, right between the Philippines and Egypt. Over 103 million people share this name that means prince, king, or vast.
Georgia
Beridze
Unknown.
India
Devi
From Sanskrit word for “goddess.”
Indonesia
Sari
Indonesian word for “essence.”
Iran
Mohammadi
Iraq
Mohamed
Israel
Cohen
From the Hebrew kohen, meaning priest. This referred mostly to the kohanim caste of priests, descended from Moses’ brother Aaron.
Japan
Sato
This denotes a descendant of the Sato family, a branch of the Fujiwara clan dating back to the ninth century.
Jordan
Allah
Kazakhstan
Kim
Translates to “gold.”
Kuwait
Ali
Kyrgyzstan
Ismailova
From the Uyghur name for Ismael, the son of Abraham, whose name means “God will hear.” The -ova suffix makes this “son of Ismael.”
Laos
Inthavong
Unknown Laotian term.
Lebanon
El Din
Combination of Arabic words el — meaning “god” — and din — meaning religion or faith. So, effectively, this means “god faith” or “faith in “god.”
Malaysia
Tan
Refers to people from the Zhou dynasty-era state of Tan.
Maldives
Mohamed
Mongolia
Ganbold
Just when you thought Mongolia couldn’t get any more badass, you learn the most common name in the country means steel.
Myanmar
Maung
Burmese term of honor for a younger brother.
Nepal
Caudhari
Sanskrit word meaning “holder of four,” which may refer to the amount of land someone owns.
North Korea
Kim
A full 25 percent of North Koreans have this last name, which is a reference to “gold.”
Oman
Al Balushi
Al Balushi is not the long lost third member of a great Chicago comedy family, but rather a tribal surname meaning someone is of Baloch ancestry.
Pakistan
Khan
From Turkish word meaning “ruler” or “nobleman.” You’re yelling it like William Shatner in your head right now, aren’t you?
Palestine
Awad
Based on Arabic word for reverence or kindness.
Philippines
de la Cruz
Filipino take on the French name “de la Croix,” which means “of the cross.” Pacquiao did not crack the top 10. Yet.
Qatar
Khan
Just when you’d gotten Captain Kirk out of your head…
Russia
Ivanova
Saudi Arabia
Khan
Singapore
Tan
Over 723,000 people, or one in eight Singaporeans, has this name from the Tan state of the Zhou dynasty.
South Korea
Kim
Over 11 million, or one in five, South Koreans are named Kim.
Sri Lanka
Perera
From the Portuguese word pereira, meaning “palm tree.”
Syria
Khaled
From the Arabic word khalid, meaning “eternal” or “remaining.”
Taiwan
Chen
Refers to people from the Chen region, in Henan province.
Tajikistan
Sharipov
Literally means “son of Sharip,” which is a Tajik version of Sharif. Who, as you may recall, don’t like it.
Thailand
Saetang
Thai variation of Chen, the most popular name in a number of other Asian countries referring to people from Chen in the Henan province.
Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Soares
From Portueguese word soeiro, meaning “swineherd.”
Turkmenistan
Mamedova
Means “son of Mammad.”
United Arab Emirates
Ali
Of the seven countries where Ali or some form of it is the most popular surname, this is the only one with an indoor ski slope.
Uzbekistan
Karimov
Unknown.
Vietnam
Nguyen
Vietnamese version of the Chinese word ruan, which is a type of lute.
Yemen
Mohamed
That’s over 10 countries, if you were counting, where some version of Mohamed is the most popular name.
Oceania
05_The-most-common-last-name-in-every-country_NorthAmerica
Australia
Smith
Smith, to exactly no one’s surprise, is the most common name in five countries, which also happen to be the largest majority of English-speaking countries in the world.
Fiji
Kumar
From the Sanskrit kumara, which means “son,” “child,” or “prince.” Prince of a white castle, perhaps?
Kiribati
Ioane
Member of the John/Jean/Johannes family of etymology.
Marshall Islands
John
Same as Jean, Johannes, and other versions of the “blessed with a son” name.
Micronesia
Mori
From a Japanese word for “forest,” that more specifically means the hallowed ground around a shrine.
Nauru
Harris
Derived from the English name Harry, which is a combination of the Germanic word haim, which means “home.” And rīc, meaning “power” or “ruler.”
New Zealand
Smith
Palau
Tellei
This island nation of just over 21,000 only has seven last names with over 400 people. The origin of this most-popular one is unknown.
Papua New Guinea
John
The two next most popular surnames here are Peter and Paul, and the entire top 10 are English names of biblical origin.
Samoa
Meredith
Taken from the Welsh name Maredudd, a combination of words meaning “pomp” and “lord.”
Solomon Islands
Mae
Japanese for “front” or “before.”
Tonga
Latu
About 2,700 Tongans have this native name of unknown meaning.
Tuvalu
Apinelu
Technically, this tied with Smith for most popular name in this small Pacific island nation. But really, don’t we have enough Smiths on this list?
Vanuatu
Tari
Native name of unknown origin beat out yet-another John by 1,400 people.
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