Most Common Last Names in Iowa

#1

Smith english

25,900

1 in 118

Derived from Old English smið, denoting a metalworker or blacksmith. Smith spread across rural Iowa with the 19th-century farm economy, where blacksmiths were indispensable in every county seat.

#2

Johnson english

22,800

1 in 134

Means 'son of John,' from the Hebrew Yohanan. Scandinavian immigrants anglicized the equivalent Jonsson to Johnson, boosting its Iowa count significantly during the 1870s–1890s settlement wave.

#3

Miller english

19,200

1 in 159

Occupational name for a grain mill operator, rooted in Old English mylenweard. It ranks higher in Iowa than nationally because German immigrants named Müller—anglicized to Miller—settled the fertile eastern counties heavily from the 1840s onward.

#4

Anderson english

15,200

1 in 200

Means 'son of Andrew,' from the Greek Andreas. Norwegian and Swedish settlers brought Andersen and Andersson into Iowa during the late 1800s, concentrating especially around Decorah in Winneshiek County.

#5

Brown english

13,400

1 in 227

A nickname for someone with brown hair or complexion, from Old English brún. Brown arrived with early American-born settlers migrating west from Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky into Iowa from the 1830s onward.

#6

Williams welsh

12,200

1 in 250

Means 'son of William,' from the Germanic Wilhelm. Williams traveled into Iowa with American-born migrants from border states settling the Des Moines River valley in the mid-1800s.

#7

Wilson english

11,900

1 in 256

Means 'son of Will,' a short form of William. Early British settlers carried Wilson into Iowa's first counties along the Mississippi corridor, and it has remained a consistent top-ten name ever since.

#8

Jones welsh

10,400

1 in 293

Means 'son of John,' from the Welsh Ieuan. Welsh and English families named Jones settled along the Iowa-Illinois border in river communities like Burlington early in the territorial period.

#9

Davis welsh

10,100

1 in 302

Means 'son of David,' from the Hebrew Dawid. Davis County in southern Iowa was named for Jefferson Davis, and the surname was common among American settlers who homesteaded the region in the 1840s.

#10

Nelson english

9,100

1 in 335

Means 'son of Neil' or 'son of Nils,' with deep Scandinavian roots via Nilsson. Norwegian settlers around Decorah and the Story City area drove Iowa's Nelson count well above the national average.

#11

Hansen english

8,800

1 in 346

Means 'son of Hans,' the Danish and Norwegian form of John. Iowa's large Danish communities in Shelby County—centered on Elk Horn and Kimballton—make Hansen far more prevalent here than in most Midwestern states.

#12

Thompson english

8,200

1 in 371

Means 'son of Thomas,' from the Aramaic T'oma. British and Scots-Irish settlers carried Thompson across Iowa's early river towns like Dubuque and Davenport during the territorial era of the 1830s and 1840s.

#13

Taylor english

7,000

1 in 435

Derived from Old French tailleur, meaning a tailor or cutter of cloth. Taylor spread across Iowa with English and American-born settlers who established the commercial districts of growing towns like Iowa City.

#14

Moore english

6,700

1 in 455

From Old English mōr, denoting someone living near a moor or boggy ground. Moore arrived in Iowa primarily with Scots-Irish migrants from Appalachian states who followed the Ohio River west into the Mississippi valley.

#15

Martin latin

6,400

1 in 476

Derived from Latin Martinus, meaning 'of Mars.' German Catholic families named Martin settled in Dubuque County and along the eastern bluffs where the first permanent Iowa settlements took root in the 1830s.

#16

Clark english

5,800

1 in 525

From Old English clerc, denoting a clerk or scholar, often a parish record-keeper. Clark spread through Iowa's courthouse towns as the state formalized county government throughout the 1840s and 1850s.

#17

Larson english

5,800

1 in 525

The anglicized form of Scandinavian Larsen or Larsson, meaning 'son of Lars.' Swedish and Norwegian immigrants brought Larson into northwest Iowa counties around Sioux City during the 1880s railroad expansion era.

#18

White english

5,500

1 in 554

A nickname for someone with fair hair or complexion, from Old English hwīt. White came to Iowa with American-born migrants from the Upper South and Mid-Atlantic who settled the mixed-farming counties of central Iowa.

#19

Peterson english

5,500

1 in 554

Means 'son of Peter,' anglicized from Scandinavian Petersen or Petersson. Swedish settlers concentrated in Polk County and around Des Moines's north side carried Peterson into Iowa's urban surname rolls by the 1890s.

#20

Harris english

5,200

1 in 586

Means 'son of Harry,' a medieval English form of Henry. Harris families were among the early American-born settlers of Muscatine and Scott counties along the Mississippi, arriving during Iowa's first settlement wave of the 1830s.