Top 3 — Colorado
An English patronymic meaning 'son of John,' from the medieval given name Johannes. It spread across Colorado's Eastern Plains farming communities during homestead expansion in the 1870s–1880s.
An English occupational name for a metalworker or blacksmith, from Old English 'smið.' It became Colorado's most common surname as craftsmen and tradesmen settled the Front Range during and after the 1859 Pikes Peak Gold Rush.
A Spanish patronymic meaning 'son of Martín,' ultimately from the Latin Martinus. It ranks among Colorado's oldest European surnames, carried by Hispano families who settled the San Luis Valley from New Mexico in the 1840s–1850s.
Name origins — top 20 surnames
Name origins - top 20 surnamesName origins — top 20 surnames
Heritage
Hispano Settlers and Mining-Era Europeans
Hispano families from New Mexico established Colorado's oldest European communities in the San Luis Valley in the 1850s, leaving surnames like Martinez, Vigil, and Archuleta woven into county and town names. The 1859 Pikes Peak Gold Rush and later silver strikes drew English, Irish, German, and Italian workers to camps like Central City and Leadville, anchoring Anglo surnames across the Front Range.
Did you know? San Luis, Colorado, founded in 1851, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the state and the birthplace of many Hispano surnames still common across the San Luis Valley today.
Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Colorado
Showing all 20 surnames
#1
Smith
english
40,200
1 in 125
#2
Johnson
english
31,200
1 in 161
#3
Martinez
spanish
30,200
1 in 167
#4
Garcia
spanish
25,100
1 in 200
#5
Williams
welsh
21,600
1 in 233
#6
Brown
english
19,600
1 in 257
#7
Jones
welsh
18,600
1 in 270
#8
Davis
welsh
17,600
1 in 286
#9
Miller
english
16,100
1 in 312
#10
Hernandez
spanish
14,600
1 in 345
#11
Wilson
english
13,600
1 in 370
#12
Anderson
scandinavian
12,600
1 in 399
#13
Taylor
english
12,100
1 in 416
#14
Lopez
spanish
11,600
1 in 434
#15
Thomas
welsh
11,100
1 in 453
#16
Moore
english
10,600
1 in 475
#17
Martin
english
10,100
1 in 498
#18
Jackson
english
9,600
1 in 524
#19
Gonzalez
spanish
9,600
1 in 524
#20
Thompson
english
9,100
1 in 553
Local Insight
Uniquely Colorado
These family names rank far higher in Colorado than nationally — a direct fingerprint of the state's specific immigration waves.
Ranked #200 in Colorado versus #1200 nationally. That is 1000 spots higher here.
The Archuleta family were prominent Hispano leaders in Territorial Colorado; Archuleta County in southwest Colorado bears the family name. The surname is far more common in Colorado and New Mexico than in any other state.
Ranked #105 in Colorado versus #700 nationally. That is 595 spots higher here.
Vigil families settled Costilla and Conejos counties in the San Luis Valley as early as the 1840s under New Mexican land grants. The name appears at higher rates in Colorado than in any state outside New Mexico.
Ranked #135 in Colorado versus #600 nationally. That is 465 spots higher here.
Trujillo families were among the earliest Hispano settlers in Costilla and Conejos counties, arriving in the 1850s as part of the New Mexican migration that established the San Luis Valley's first permanent communities.
Ranked #185 in Colorado versus #500 nationally. That is 315 spots higher here.
Concentrated in the San Luis Valley and Pueblo, Espinosa families trace descent from early Hispano settlers from New Mexico. Pueblo's steel industry drew additional Hispanic migration in the early 20th century that reinforced the name's local presence.
Etymology
Colorado Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational
Hispano Patronymics
Spanish patronymic surnames dominate southern Colorado, reflecting Hispano families who migrated from New Mexico in the 1840s–1850s to settle the San Luis Valley. These names follow the Spanish pattern of 'son of [father's name]' and remain concentrated in Costilla, Conejos, and Huerfano counties today.
Mining-Era Occupational
The 1859 Pikes Peak Gold Rush and 1870s–1880s silver bonanzas drew tradesmen and laborers whose surnames reflect their trades. Central City, Leadville, and Cripple Creek mining camps were home to Smiths, Millers, and Taylors who settled permanently across the Front Range.
Welsh Patronymics
Welsh miners were recruited for Colorado's coal fields in the 1880s–1900s, particularly in Huerfano and Las Animas counties. Surnames like Jones, Williams, Davis, and Thomas appear at disproportionately high rates in southern Colorado coal communities compared to the national average.
Quick Answers
What are the most common last names in Colorado?
Why are Spanish last names so common in Colorado?
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — Frequently Occurring Surnames — 2010 Census surname frequency data — primary source for all counts, ratios, and rankings
- History Colorado — Hispano Heritage — Historical context for Hispano settlement patterns, land grants, and surname origins in Colorado
- #1 Surname
- Smith
- People named #1
- 40,200
- 1 in every
- 125 residents
- Top origin
- English
- State population
- 5,029,196
- Census year
- 2010
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Top 20 most common surnames per state - with origins, meanings, and heritage context. Is yours on the list?
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