Most Common Last Names in Florida

#1

Smith english

155,700

1 in 121

Derived from the Old English smið, meaning a metalworker or blacksmith. In Florida, the name arrived with Anglo settlers who farmed North Florida's panhandle counties and established early towns like Pensacola and Tallahassee in the early 1800s.

#2

Johnson english

123,200

1 in 153

Means 'son of John,' from the Hebrew Yohanan. It spread through Florida during the late 19th century as English-speaking migrants from the Deep South followed Henry Flagler's railroad lines south into the peninsula.

#3

Williams welsh

116,100

1 in 162

Means 'son of William,' from the Germanic Willahelm. Williams ranks high in Florida partly because of historically large African-American communities in Jacksonville and Miami, where the surname is strongly concentrated.

#4

Garcia spanish

110,000

1 in 171

A Basque-origin surname possibly referring to a place named Garcia or meaning 'young.' It surged in Florida after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, when exiles established a dense community across Miami-Dade County.

#5

Jones welsh

100,200

1 in 188

Means 'son of John' in its Welsh form, carried to Florida by settlers from the Carolinas and Georgia during the antebellum period. It remains especially common in North Florida's rural panhandle counties.

#6

Brown english

87,800

1 in 214

From the Old English brún, describing someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. Brown is distributed broadly across Florida, with notable concentrations in Jacksonville and Tampa's historically African-American neighborhoods.

#7

Martinez spanish

80,000

1 in 235

Means 'son of Martín,' from the Latin Martinus. Martinez is heavily represented in Miami-Dade's Cuban-American community and grew further as Puerto Rican and Mexican families settled the I-4 corridor from the 1980s onward.

#8

Davis welsh

79,000

1 in 238

Means 'son of David,' from the Hebrew Dawid. Davis reached Florida during the antebellum cotton era, when Anglo planters moved into North Florida's fertile counties along the Georgia border.

#9

Rodriguez spanish

75,000

1 in 251

Means 'son of Rodrigo,' from the Visigothic Hrodric. Rodriguez is concentrated in Miami's Cuban community and has expanded through Puerto Rican and Mexican populations settling the I-4 corridor since the 1980s.

#10

Hernandez spanish

65,000

1 in 289

Means 'son of Hernando,' a variant of Ferdinand. Hernandez is especially common in Osceola County, which by 2010 had one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Rican residents of any county in the continental United States.

#11

Wilson english

63,200

1 in 298

Means 'son of Will,' a diminutive of William. Wilson spread through Florida during the post-Reconstruction era as African-American families migrated from Georgia and Alabama into the state's citrus-growing regions.

#12

Moore english

58,800

1 in 320

From the Old English mōr, meaning open marshland. Moore is common throughout Florida's Gulf Coast counties, where families from the Carolinas and Georgia settled during the early territorial period of the 1820s.

#13

Taylor english

58,500

1 in 321

From the Old French tailleur, meaning a cloth cutter. Taylor arrived in Florida with English-speaking settlers from the Carolinas and Virginia during the American territorial period of the 1820s and 1830s.

#14

Anderson english

58,200

1 in 323

Means 'son of Andrew,' from the Greek Andreas. Anderson is concentrated along Jacksonville's First Coast, where descendants of early Anglo settlers established the region's foundational communities.

#15

Thomas english

57,300

1 in 328

From the Aramaic toma, meaning twin. Thomas has deep roots in Florida's panhandle, where families with this name were among the first Anglo settlers of Pensacola and surrounding West Florida counties in the early 1800s.

#16

Jackson english

56,200

1 in 335

Means 'son of Jack,' a medieval diminutive of John. Jackson is strongly associated with Florida's African-American communities in Duval County and the panhandle, where it was widely adopted after the Civil War.

#17

White english

52,100

1 in 361

From the Old English hwīt, describing someone with fair coloring or white hair. White is distributed across rural North Florida, where English-speaking pioneer families established farms during the 1820s–1840s territorial period.

#18

Harris english

51,300

1 in 367

Means 'son of Harry,' a medieval English form of Henry. Harris is common along Florida's Atlantic coast counties, carried south by families migrating from Georgia and the Carolinas throughout the 19th century.

#19

Martin english

49,700

1 in 378

From the Latin Martinus, meaning 'of Mars.' Martin is common among both Anglo families in North Florida's Alachua County and Cuban-American households in Miami-Dade, reflecting the name's parallel English and Spanish heritage.

#20

Thompson english

49,200

1 in 382

Means 'son of Thomas,' from the Aramaic toma. Thompson is well represented along Florida's Gulf Coast, where Scots-Irish families settled in the antebellum era around Pensacola and the Tampa Bay region.