Kentucky Last Names: Top Surnames and Meanings

Top 3 — Kentucky

#2 welsh

Jones

Patronymic

30,292 people

1 in every 148 Kentucky residents

A Welsh patronymic meaning 'son of John,' derived from the Welsh given name Ieuan or Siôn. Welsh and border-English families bearing the Jones surname were among the earliest settlers in central and eastern Kentucky, and the name appears prominently in land grant records from Fayette and Madison counties dating to the 1780s.

#1 english

Johnson

Patronymic

33,998 people

1 in every 132 Kentucky residents

From the Middle English patronymic meaning 'son of John,' itself derived from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning 'God is gracious.' Johnson became one of the most common surnames carried through the Cumberland Gap by Scots-Irish settlers in the 1770s and 1780s, and it remains the single most frequent surname in Kentucky today.

#3 english

Brown

Descriptive

28,969 people

1 in every 155 Kentucky residents

From Old English brun, referring to a person with brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown arrived in Kentucky primarily through Virginia and North Carolina settler families who entered the state along the Wilderness Road in the late eighteenth century.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Appalachian Roots and the Cumberland Gap Migration

Most of Kentucky's dominant surnames trace directly to the Scots-Irish and English settlers who pushed through the Cumberland Gap into Harlan, Bell, and Knox counties from the 1770s onward. Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road, blazed in 1775, funneled thousands of Virginia and Carolina families into the Bluegrass region within a single generation. Names like Hall, Adams, and Howard became concentrated in eastern Kentucky's coal counties during the 1880s and 1890s as mining operations drew extended family networks into the same hollows. The relative isolation of Appalachian Kentucky through the early twentieth century meant these founding surnames compounded locally rather than diluting through large-scale immigration from southern or eastern Europe.

Did you know? Mattingly is one of Kentucky's clearest signature surnames because it points to the old Catholic settlement belt around Nelson, Washington, and Marion counties. Slone, Caudill, Combs, and Mullins tell a different Kentucky story: eastern Appalachian family networks that stayed rooted in the same mountain counties for generations.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Kentucky

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Johnson english

33,998

1 in 132

Jones welsh

30,292

1 in 148

Brown english

28,969

1 in 155

Williams welsh

24,612

1 in 182

A patronymic meaning 'son of William,' from the Norman given name Willahelm, meaning 'will helmet' or resolute protector. Williams spread widely through Kentucky's Bluegrass counties in the early 1800s, carried by Welsh-descended families migrating from Virginia and the Carolinas.

Miller english

24,456

1 in 183

From Middle English milnere or millere, denoting a person who operated a grain mill. Gristmills were essential infrastructure in early Kentucky settlements, and families bearing the Miller surname appear in county records across the Bluegrass and Pennyrile regions from the earliest decades of statehood in the 1790s.

Wilson english

20,778

1 in 216

A patronymic meaning 'son of Will,' a short form of William, from the Norman Willahelm. Wilson was common among the Scots-Irish settlers who entered Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap and established farms in Lincoln and Garrard counties during the 1780s and 1790s.

Davis welsh

20,446

1 in 219

From the Welsh and English patronymic meaning 'son of David,' derived from the Hebrew Dawid, meaning beloved. Davis-bearing families were among the early settlers of the Green River country in south-central Kentucky, and the name appears consistently in Butler and Warren county land records from the early 1800s.

Hall english

19,540

1 in 230

From Old English heall, referring to someone who lived at or worked in a large hall or manor house. Hall is significantly overrepresented in Kentucky relative to the national average, concentrated in Letcher, Pike, and Harlan counties in the eastern coalfields, where English settler families established deep generational roots beginning in the early nineteenth century.

Moore english

17,382

1 in 258

From Old English mor, meaning an open expanse of uncultivated upland or boggy ground. Moore-bearing families entered Kentucky primarily from Virginia and the Carolinas, and the name appears in early deed records across the Bluegrass region, particularly in Bourbon and Scott counties, from the 1790s onward.

#10

Taylor english

17,293

1 in 259

From the Old French tailleur, meaning a cutter of cloth, denoting a tailor by trade. Taylor is one of the most common occupational surnames in Kentucky, carried into the state by English settler families and appearing in early court records across Mercer, Nelson, and Washington counties in the late 1700s.

#11

Thompson english

15,959

1 in 281

A patronymic meaning 'son of Thomas,' from the Aramaic given name Toma, meaning twin. Thompson was common among Scots-Irish families who settled the eastern Kentucky mountains and the Licking River valley in the early nineteenth century, and it remains notably concentrated in that region today.

#12

Clark english

15,588

1 in 288

From Old English clerc or cleric, originally denoting a clergyman or a literate person who kept records. Clark is overrepresented in Kentucky relative to the national average, and the name gained particular prominence in the state through the legacy of explorer George Rogers Clark, whose family settled in Jefferson County in the 1780s.

#13

Thomas welsh

14,749

1 in 304

From the Aramaic given name Toma, meaning twin, adopted widely in Wales and England after the apostle Thomas. Welsh-descended families bearing Thomas as a surname were among the settlers of the Bluegrass counties in the late eighteenth century, and the name appears in early Fayette and Jessamine county records.

#14

Martin english

14,563

1 in 308

From the Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. Martin arrived in Kentucky primarily through English and Scots-Irish settler families from Virginia, and it appears in land grant records across the central Bluegrass region from the 1780s onward.

#15

Adams english

14,472

1 in 310

A patronymic meaning 'son of Adam,' from the Hebrew adam, meaning man or earth. Adams is overrepresented in Kentucky compared to its national rank, appearing frequently in eastern Appalachian counties where English settler families established farms in the early 1800s and the name compounded through large multi-generational households.

#16

Baker english

13,644

1 in 329

From Old English baecere, denoting a person who baked bread professionally. Baker is more common in Kentucky than its national rank would suggest, and the name appears in early records across the central and western Bluegrass, carried by English settler families who moved into the state from Virginia and Maryland in the late eighteenth century.

#17

Allen english

13,145

1 in 341

From the Old Breton given name Alan, of uncertain meaning, possibly related to a word for rock or harmony. Allen-bearing families settled across the Pennyrile and western coalfield regions of Kentucky in the early 1800s, and the name appears in deed records from Christian and Hopkins counties from that period.

#18

Howard english

12,630

1 in 355

From Old English or Old Norse elements meaning hog warden or high guardian, originally an occupational term. Howard is strikingly overrepresented in Kentucky, ranking 18th in the state but only 70th nationally. The name clusters in eastern Kentucky's mountain counties, where Howard-bearing families arrived in the early 1800s and remained through the coal era.

#19

Jackson english

12,604

1 in 356

A patronymic meaning 'son of Jack,' a medieval diminutive of John, from the Hebrew Yohanan. Jackson spread widely across Kentucky in the early nineteenth century, partly through the cultural influence of Andrew Jackson's popularity in the region, and the name appears in county records across the Pennyrile and Green River districts.

#20

White english

12,454

1 in 360

From Old English hwit, describing a person with pale hair or complexion. White arrived in Kentucky with English and Scots-Irish settler families from Virginia and the Carolinas, appearing in early land records across Bourbon, Clark, and Montgomery counties from the 1790s onward.

Local Insight

Uniquely Kentucky

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

Mattingly english

Ranked #65 in Kentucky versus #2310 nationally. That is 2245 spots higher here.

Mattingly is an English habitational surname tied to places named Mattingley or Mattingly, and in Kentucky it concentrates in the old Catholic settlement belt of Nelson, Washington, and Marion counties. English Catholic families from Maryland moved into central Kentucky in the late 1700s and early 1800s, creating a surname cluster that still feels much more Kentucky than national.

Slone irish

Ranked #96 in Kentucky versus #3286 nationally. That is 3190 spots higher here.

Slone is usually treated as a variant of Sloan, an Irish and Scottish surname from Gaelic Ó Sluaghadháin, linked to a personal name meaning 'raider.' In Kentucky it belongs especially to the eastern mountains, with Knott County strongly associated with the name through Appalachian writer Verna Mae Slone. Related Slone families stayed close as mountain communities grew around farms, creeks, and later coal work.

Caudill english

Ranked #74 in Kentucky versus #1946 nationally. That is 1872 spots higher here.

Caudill is an English surname from Middle English caudel or caudell, meaning a hot spiced drink or thin gruel, with Caldwell also listed as a possible alternate source. In Kentucky it is closely associated with the eastern Appalachian counties, especially Letcher County, where Caudills appear among early settler families and local histories. The name spread as Virginia and North Carolina families moved into the mountain creek valleys and remained there for generations.

Combs english

Ranked #43 in Kentucky versus #602 nationally. That is 559 spots higher here.

Combs is an English topographic surname for someone who lived near a valley or hollow, a meaning that fits its Kentucky geography almost too neatly. The name concentrates in Perry, Knott, Breathitt, and surrounding eastern Kentucky counties, where families moving through Virginia and North Carolina became part of the Appalachian settlement pattern.

Mullins english

Ranked #36 in Kentucky versus #461 nationally. That is 425 spots higher here.

Mullins is usually English of Norman origin, from French place names based on Old French molins, meaning 'mills,' though an Irish Mullen-related line is also possible. In Kentucky it is strongly tied to the eastern coalfield counties. The surname spread through Appalachian family networks in places such as Pike, Letcher, and Floyd counties, where related households often stayed near the same valleys and creek settlements.

Etymology

Kentucky Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Five of Kentucky's top 20 surnames are occupational in origin: Miller, Taylor, Clark, Baker, and Howard. That count is consistent with the national pattern but reflects a specifically English and Scots-Irish occupational naming tradition rather than the German or Scandinavian occupational surnames more common in Midwestern states.

Miller (grain mill operator) Taylor (cloth cutter) Clark (cleric or record keeper) Baker (bread baker) Howard (hog warden)

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate Kentucky's top 20, with at least ten surnames derived from a father's given name: Johnson, Jones, Williams, Wilson, Davis, Thompson, Thomas, Martin, Adams, Allen, and Jackson. This heavy patronymic presence reflects the Welsh and Scots-Irish settler majority, both cultures with strong patronymic naming traditions that carried directly into Kentucky's founding population.

Johnson (son of John) Jones (son of John, Welsh form) Williams (son of William) Wilson (son of Will) Davis (son of David)

Descriptive or Place-Based Names

Descriptive and habitational surnames account for a smaller share of Kentucky's top 20, with Brown, White, Moore, and Hall representing this category. Moore and Hall both carry topographic or habitational roots tied to English landscape features, and both are overrepresented in Kentucky relative to national averages, particularly in the eastern mountain counties.

Brown (brown hair or complexion) White (pale hair or complexion) Moore (near an open moor) Hall (near or at a large hall)

Quick Answers

What is the most common last name in Kentucky?

Johnson is the most common last name in Kentucky, with approximately 33,998 people bearing the surname according to 2010 Census-era data. That works out to roughly 1 in every 132 Kentucky residents. Jones and Brown rank second and third.

What last names are most common in eastern Kentucky?

Hall, Howard, Adams, and Thompson are among the surnames most heavily concentrated in eastern Kentucky's Appalachian counties. Hall and Howard in particular rank far higher in Kentucky than nationally, reflecting the deep roots of English settler families in Harlan, Pike, Letcher, and Floyd counties from the early 1800s onward.

Sources

Forebears Kentucky Surname Data — Surname frequency and ratio data for Kentucky, including incidence counts and national rank comparisons used as the primary data source for this page.
U.S. Census Bureau Surname Files — Official 2010 Census surname frequency data providing the national baseline for surname counts, ranks, and frequency comparisons.
Kentucky Historical Society — Primary resource for Kentucky settlement history, migration routes, and county-level demographic records used to contextualize surname distribution patterns.

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Johnson
People named #1: 33,998
1 in every: 132 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 4,505,836
Census year: 2010

Explore More

Data

State Rankings

Compare all 50 states by population, land area, statehood date, and more.

View Rankings

Curated

Collections

Themed lists - states sharing the same bird, oldest symbols, flags with bears, and more.

Browse Collections

Compare

Compare States

Side-by-side comparison of population, area, income, taxes, climate, and more.

Compare Now

Genealogy

Last Names by State

Top 20 most common surnames per state - with origins, meanings, and heritage context. Is yours on the list?

Explore Last Names

Most Common Last Names in Kentucky

Appalachian Roots and the Cumberland Gap Migration

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Kentucky

Uniquely Kentucky