Genealogy & Demographics Illinois 2010 Census Top 20 Surnames

Most Common Last Names in Illinois

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Illinois

Top 20 Most Common Surnames - 2010 Census

Top 3 — Illinois

#2 english
Johnson
Patronymic
87,300 people
1 in every 147 Illinois residents

Johnson means 'son of John,' common across English and Scandinavian traditions. Its heavy concentration in Cook County reflects the Great Migration, which drew African American families from Mississippi and Alabama to Chicago's South Side starting in the 1910s.

#1 english
Smith
Occupational
98,420 people
1 in every 130 Illinois residents

Smith derives from Old English 'smið,' denoting a metalworker or blacksmith. Anglo-American settlers from Virginia and Kentucky carried it into Illinois's central counties before statehood in 1818, making it the state's most common surname by the first federal census.

#3 english
Williams
Patronymic
79,100 people
1 in every 162 Illinois residents

Williams derives from the Norman name William, meaning 'resolute protector.' It rose sharply in Illinois during the Great Migration, when African American families from the Deep South resettled in Chicago's South Side neighborhoods through the mid-20th century.

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Polish Settlement, the Great Migration, and Mexican Chicago

Polish immigrants flooded Chicago's Northwest Side in the 1890s, drawn by steel mills and meatpacking plants; neighborhoods like Avondale and the Polish Triangle became centers of Polish life that still shape Cook County surnames today. The Great Migration of the 1910s–1960s brought hundreds of thousands of African Americans from the South, while Mexican settlement in Pilsen and Little Village made Garcia and Martinez among Illinois's fastest-growing names.

Did you know? In the early 1900s, Chicago had so many Polish-born residents that it was called the 'Polish capital of America,' and that legacy is still visible in Cook County's unusually high density of Polish surnames like Kowalski and Kaminski.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Illinois

Showing all 20 surnames

#1
Smith english
98,420
1 in 130
Smith derives from Old English 'smið,' denoting a metalworker or blacksmith. Anglo-American settlers from Virginia and Kentucky carried it into Illinois's central counties before statehood in 1818, making it the state's most common surname by the first federal census.
#2
Johnson english
87,300
1 in 147
Johnson means 'son of John,' common across English and Scandinavian traditions. Its heavy concentration in Cook County reflects the Great Migration, which drew African American families from Mississippi and Alabama to Chicago's South Side starting in the 1910s.
#3
Williams english
79,100
1 in 162
Williams derives from the Norman name William, meaning 'resolute protector.' It rose sharply in Illinois during the Great Migration, when African American families from the Deep South resettled in Chicago's South Side neighborhoods through the mid-20th century.
#4
Brown english
71,500
1 in 179
Brown originated as a nickname for someone with dark hair or complexion, from Old English 'brūn.' It arrived in Illinois with Anglo-American settlers and increased in frequency during the Great Migration, particularly in Chicago's Bronzeville and Englewood communities.
#5
Jones welsh
68,900
1 in 186
Jones derives from Welsh 'ap John,' meaning son of John, and spread with Welsh and English migrants across the Atlantic. In Illinois it arrived primarily with Anglo-American settlers moving north from Kentucky and Tennessee into the state's southern counties before 1830.
#6
Garcia spanish
66,200
1 in 194
Garcia likely derives from a Basque personal name, possibly related to 'hartz' meaning bear, and is the most common surname in Spain and Mexico. It surged in Illinois as Mexican families settled in Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods from the 1950s onward, becoming the state's sixth most common name.
#7
Miller english
63,800
1 in 201
Miller describes an operator of a grain mill, from Old English 'mylenweard.' German immigrants settling in Chicago and Peoria in the mid-1800s frequently carried the equivalent Müller, which many families anglicized to Miller within a generation.
#8
Davis english
60,400
1 in 212
Davis means 'son of David,' from the Hebrew name meaning 'beloved.' It spread into Illinois with Anglo-American migrants from Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky who settled the state's southern and central counties before statehood in 1818.
#9
Martinez spanish
56,700
1 in 226
Martinez means 'son of Martín,' derived from the Latin Martinus. Mexican families bearing the name settled in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and the Near West Side corridor from the 1950s onward, making it one of the city's most recognized Spanish surnames.
#10
Wilson english
54,200
1 in 236
Wilson means 'son of Will,' a short form of William common across Northern England and Scotland. In Illinois it arrived with Anglo-American settlers in the early 1800s and remains especially common in Sangamon County and the Springfield area.
#11
Anderson scandinavian
52,800
1 in 243
Anderson means 'son of Anders,' shared across English and Scandinavian traditions. Swedish immigrants brought the name to northern Illinois, and Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood on the North Side took its name from an early Swedish settler named Anderson.
#12
Taylor english
50,100
1 in 256
Taylor derives from Old French 'tailleur,' meaning a cutter of cloth. The name reached Illinois with Anglo-American settlers from the mid-Atlantic states who moved into the Illinois River valley during the early territorial period.
#13
Thomas english
51,600
1 in 248
Thomas derives from an Aramaic name meaning 'twin,' carried to Britain by Norman settlers after 1066. In Illinois it is common across Chicago's South Shore and Roseland communities, reflecting both English settlement and the Great Migration's impact on the South Side.
#14
Hernandez spanish
49,300
1 in 260
Hernandez means 'son of Hernando,' from a Visigothic name meaning 'bold journey.' In Illinois it concentrates in Chicago's Logan Square and Humboldt Park neighborhoods, reflecting Mexican and Puerto Rican settlement that intensified from the 1960s onward.
#15
Moore english
47,800
1 in 268
Moore derives from Old English 'mōr,' referring to a moorland, and also anglicizes the Irish Ó Mórdha. Both origins are present in Illinois, arriving with English settlers in the central counties and Irish immigrants who reached Chicago during the Great Famine of the 1840s.
#16
Jackson english
46,500
1 in 275
Jackson means 'son of Jack,' a medieval diminutive of John. Its prominence in Illinois reflects Chicago's role as a northern terminus of the Great Migration, drawing families named Jackson from Mississippi and Alabama to the city's South Side from the 1910s onward.
#17
Martin french
44,900
1 in 285
Martin derives from Latin Martinus, connected to Mars, the Roman god of war. French traders and missionaries introduced the name to the Illinois region in the 17th and 18th centuries, and it persists in communities along the Mississippi and Illinois river corridors.
#18
Lee english
43,400
1 in 295
Lee originates from Old English 'lēah,' meaning a woodland clearing, and is also carried by Korean American families as an anglicization of Yi or Rhee. Both origins are present in Illinois, with the Korean contribution concentrated in Chicago's Koreatown area on the North Side.
#19
Thompson english
42,100
1 in 304
Thompson means 'son of Thomas,' with the inserted 'p' appearing as a spelling convention by the 15th century. In Illinois it arrived with Anglo-American settlers and, like Johnson and Williams, gained frequency in Chicago's South Side communities during the Great Migration.
#20
White english
41,200
1 in 311
White originated as a nickname for someone with very fair hair or pale complexion, from Old English 'hwīt.' It reached central and southern Illinois with Anglo-American migrants from the Ohio Valley in the early 1800s and remains common in the state's downstate counties.

Local Insight

Uniquely Illinois

These family names rank far higher in Illinois than nationally — a direct fingerprint of the state's specific immigration waves.

Illinois Department of Public Health english

Ranked #0 in Illinois and not reliably ranked nationally in this dataset.

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning english

Ranked #0 in Illinois and not reliably ranked nationally in this dataset.

#1 Surname
Smith
People named #1
98,420
1 in every
130 residents
Top origin
English
State population
12,830,632
Census year
2010

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