Most Common Last Names in Idaho

#1

Smith english

13,800

1 in 114

Derived from the Old English smið, meaning a metalworker or blacksmith. Idaho's mining camps and railroad towns of the late 1800s drew many Smith families to settlements like Kellogg and Pocatello.

#2

Johnson english

11,000

1 in 143

Means 'son of John,' rooted in the Hebrew Yohanan. LDS converts from Scandinavia and the Midwest carried the name into southern Idaho during the homestead era of the 1870s–1890s.

#3

Williams welsh

10,000

1 in 157

Means 'son of William,' from the Germanic Willahelm. Welsh and English settlers brought the name into northern Idaho's Clearwater timber country in the late nineteenth century.

#4

Brown english

8,400

1 in 187

An Old English nickname for someone with brown hair or a swarthy complexion. Brown families appear among the earliest American settlers in Ada County and the Boise Basin gold rush of the 1860s.

#5

Jones welsh

7,800

1 in 201

A Welsh patronymic meaning 'son of John,' one of the most carried names from the British Isles. Jones families settled across Latah County's Palouse wheat farms in the late 1880s.

#6

Anderson english

7,500

1 in 209

Means 'son of Andrew,' brought by Scandinavian LDS converts who anglicized forms like the Danish Andersen. Bonneville and Madison counties in eastern Idaho show particularly dense Anderson concentrations from organized LDS colonization.

#7

Miller english

7,200

1 in 218

Derived from the occupation of operating a grain mill. German and English Miller families settled Idaho's Snake River valley towns, where flour milling served farming communities through the early twentieth century.

#8

Davis welsh

7,000

1 in 224

A Welsh patronymic meaning 'son of David.' Davis families were among the early Mormon colonizers of the upper Snake River Plain, with concentrations recorded in Jefferson County.

#9

Wilson english

6,300

1 in 249

Means 'son of Will,' common across English-speaking pioneer communities. Wilson families appear in Nez Perce County records connected to the early Lewiston grain and lumber trades.

#10

Taylor english

5,700

1 in 275

From the Old French tailleur, meaning a tailor or cutter of cloth. Taylor families settled throughout the Boise Valley in the territorial period, with concentrations recorded in Canyon County.

#11

Thompson english

5,600

1 in 280

Means 'son of Thomas,' with roots in both northern English and Scandinavian naming traditions. Northern Idaho's Kootenai County drew Thompson families during the mining and railroad booms of the late 1800s.

#12

Martinez spanish

5,500

1 in 285

A Spanish patronymic meaning 'son of Martín,' itself from the Latin Martinus. Martinez families grew rapidly in Jerome and Twin Falls counties from the 1960s onward as Hispanic labor became central to the dairy and potato industries.

#13

Garcia spanish

5,300

1 in 296

Of uncertain origin, possibly from a place name or a Basque root meaning 'young.' Garcia ranks among the most common surnames in Idaho's Magic Valley, reflecting decades of agricultural migration from Mexico.

#14

Thomas english

4,700

1 in 334

From the Aramaic meaning 'twin,' carried into English through Greek and Latin. Thomas families are well represented in Gem and Payette counties, settled by Midwestern farmers along the Weiser River in the early 1900s.

#15

Moore english

4,700

1 in 334

An English habitational name for someone living near a moor or open heath. Moore families appear in early Boise Valley land records and among ranchers in the Owyhee high desert from the 1870s onward.

#16

Jackson english

4,400

1 in 356

Means 'son of Jack,' a medieval diminutive of John. Jackson families settled Fremont County in eastern Idaho during the late homestead era, drawn by the region's timber and agricultural land.

#17

White english

4,400

1 in 356

An Old English nickname for a person with fair hair or a pale complexion. White families were among the early Anglo-American settlers of Boise and the Treasure Valley following the 1860s gold rush.

#18

Harris english

4,200

1 in 373

A patronymic from Harry, the medieval English form of Henry. Harris families established farms in Gooding and Lincoln counties on the Snake River Plain during the early irrigation era.

#19

Martin english

4,100

1 in 382

From the Latin Martinus, a name rooted in Mars, the Roman god of war. Martin is shared by both Anglo-American pioneer families in northern Idaho and Hispanic farmworker families in the Magic Valley.

#20

Lewis welsh

3,900

1 in 402

A Welsh form of Louis, derived from the Germanic Hlodwig. Lewis County in north-central Idaho bears the explorer's surname, and Lewis families settled the Camas Prairie wheat farms in the 1890s.