Most Common Last Names in Connecticut

#1

Smith english

26,800

1 in 133

Metalworker, from Old English 'smið'. Colonial Connecticut's iron forges in the Litchfield Hills and Salisbury made this one of the state's earliest occupational surnames.

#2

Johnson english

23,200

1 in 154

Son of John, from Norse 'Jóhannr' via English. Johnson appears in Hartford and New Haven Colony records from the 1630s — among the first surnames documented in the state.

#3

Williams english

19,700

1 in 181

Son of William, from Norman 'Willahelm' — will and helm. Welsh settlers arriving with English Puritans in the 1630s brought Williams to Connecticut, where it has ranked in the top five ever since.

#4

Brown english

19,200

1 in 186

Named for brown hair or complexion. Brown families appear in Hartford County deeds from the 1650s, making it one of the earliest documented surnames among Connecticut's original Puritan settlers.

#5

Jones welsh

18,600

1 in 192

Son of John, via Welsh 'Ioan'. Welsh settlers arrived alongside English Puritans in Connecticut's founding decade, and Jones has remained one of the most continuously recorded surnames in the state since the 1630s.

#6

Miller english

14,300

1 in 250

One who operates a mill, from Old English 'mylenweard'. Connecticut's colonial grist mills along the Connecticut River made Miller one of the state's most common occupational surnames from the earliest settlement period.

#7

Davis welsh

13,600

1 in 263

Son of David, from Hebrew 'Dāwīḏ' — beloved. Davis families appear in New Haven Colony records as early as the 1640s, brought by English and Welsh Puritan settlers.

#8

Wilson english

11,400

1 in 314

Son of Will (William), a contraction of Williamson. Scottish and Northern English settlers brought Wilson into Fairfield County towns throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

#9

Taylor english

10,700

1 in 334

A tailor, from Old French 'tailleur'. Textile manufacturing along the Naugatuck and Quinebaug rivers drew many Taylor families to Connecticut's mill towns in the 19th century.

#10

Thomas welsh

10,000

1 in 357

Son of Thomas, from Aramaic 'Tʼōmā' — twin. Welsh quarrymen and factory workers brought Thomas to northeastern Connecticut in the mid-1800s, working industries near Killingly and Voluntown.

#11

Anderson scandinavian

9,700

1 in 369

Son of Anders (Andrew), a Scandinavian patronymic. Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who settled New Haven and Bridgeport in the late 19th century for manufacturing work carried this name in significant numbers.

#12

Moore english

9,500

1 in 376

Someone who lived near a moor, from Old English 'mōr'; also an anglicization of Irish 'Ó Mórdha'. Famine-era Irish who settled Hartford's South End in the 1840s and 1850s made Moore a lasting Connecticut name.

#13

Martin french

9,300

1 in 384

From Latin 'Martinus' — of Mars. French-Canadian mill workers who settled in Willimantic and Putnam in the 1870s–1890s brought Martin, one of Quebec's most common surnames, into northeastern Connecticut.

#14

White english

9,100

1 in 393

Named for white or very fair hair, from Old English. White families are recorded in New Haven Colony documents from the 1640s, placing it among Connecticut's oldest English surnames.

#15

Thompson english

8,900

1 in 402

Son of Thom (Thomas), with 'p' inserted as a 15th-century spelling convention. Widely recorded in Fairfield County since the early 1700s, when English colonists settled southwestern Connecticut.

#16

Harris english

8,600

1 in 416

Son of Harry (Henry), from the Norman personal name. Harris appears in Hartford County colonial deeds of the 1650s–1660s and remains consistently common across Tolland and Windham counties.

#17

Garcia spanish

8,300

1 in 431

From Basque 'hartz' — bear. Puerto Rican migration to Hartford and Bridgeport in the 1950s–1970s made Garcia the fastest-rising surname in Connecticut during the latter half of the 20th century.

#18

Clark english

8,100

1 in 441

A clerk or scholar, from Latin 'clericus'. Recorded in New Haven Colony from the 1640s — the founding of Yale University in 1701 kept the scholarly association of the name prominently visible in the city.

#19

Lewis welsh

7,500

1 in 477

From Welsh 'Llywelyn' or French 'Louis'. Welsh settlers brought Lewis to Connecticut alongside Jones and Williams in the 1630s; early records in Wethersfield and Windsor document the name from the colony's first decade.

#20

Robinson english

7,100

1 in 503

Son of Robin (Robert). Widely recorded in eastern Connecticut since the 1700s, particularly in Windham and New London counties, where English farming families settled inland from the coast.