Most Common Surnames in New York

Top 3 — New York

#2 english

Johnson

Patronymic

81,717 people

1 in every 254 New York residents

Son of John, from Hebrew Yohanan, meaning God is gracious. Johnson has the same broad reach as Williams across both long-settled Anglo-American families and Black New Yorkers, which keeps it near the very top statewide.

#1 welsh

Williams

Patronymic

92,658 people

1 in every 224 New York residents

Son of William, from the Germanic personal name Willahelm. Williams ranks first in New York because it sits at the overlap of older British settlement and large Black communities in New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers.

#3 spanish

Rodriguez

Patronymic

75,775 people

1 in every 274 New York residents

Son of Rodrigo, a Germanic personal name usually interpreted as famous ruler. Rodriguez ranks unusually high in New York because Puerto Rican and Dominican communities became central to the state's population, especially in New York City.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Dutch Beginnings, Ellis Island, and the Puerto Rican Century

New York's surname map starts with Dutch New Netherland in the early 17th century, then changes sharply with the Ellis Island era, when more than 12 million immigrants were processed between 1892 and 1924. After the Jones Act of 1917 and the Balzac decision of 1922 confirmed free movement to the mainland, New York City became the main destination for Puerto Rican migrants, helping push Rodriguez, Rivera, Perez, Torres, and Hernandez high into the statewide ranks. The same gateway role also explains why names such as Lee, Kim, Wong, Chan, Singh, and Patel are far more visible in New York than in most states.

Did you know? Smith is the most common surname nationally, but in New York it ranks only 61st.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in New York

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Williams welsh

92,658

1 in 224

Johnson english

81,717

1 in 254

Rodriguez spanish

75,775

1 in 274

Jones welsh

66,641

1 in 311

A Welsh surname meaning son of John. Jones is one of the classic broad-base American surnames that remained common through every New York migration wave, from the Hudson Valley to the modern metropolis.

Miller english

60,616

1 in 342

An occupational surname for a grain miller. In New York, Miller reflects both older English usage and the large German-speaking immigration that entered the state in the 19th century.

Lee english

56,202

1 in 369

In English, Lee comes from Old English 'leah', a clearing or meadow, but in New York it also represents major Chinese and Korean surname lines. That overlap helps explain why Lee ranks so high in the country's most globally connected state.

Rivera spanish

54,729

1 in 379

A Spanish place-name surname meaning riverbank or streamside. Rivera's prominence in New York tracks the state's long Puerto Rican presence, especially in New York City and the Hudson Valley cities tied to postwar migration.

Davis welsh

53,145

1 in 390

Son of David, from the Hebrew name Dawid, meaning beloved. Davis remained highly visible in New York because it belongs to the durable British surname layer while also being well established in Black urban communities.

Gonzalez spanish

43,964

1 in 472

Son of Gonzalo, from a medieval Iberian personal name. Gonzalez rose in New York with the broader growth of Latino communities, especially in the late 20th century.

#10

Martinez spanish

42,927

1 in 483

Son of Martin, from the Latin Martinus. Martinez is a sign that New York's top surnames are no longer dominated by British names alone but by the state's full Hispanic population as well.

#11

Garcia spanish

42,367

1 in 489

A classic Iberian surname often traced to an old personal name of Basque origin. Garcia ranks high in New York because Latino settlement is spread across the city and well beyond it, not confined to one borough or one decade.

#12

Perez spanish

41,508

1 in 500

Son of Pedro, the Spanish form of Peter. Perez is especially associated with New York's Puerto Rican and Dominican communities, which made Spanish patronymics a core part of the state's surname profile.

#13

Wilson english

37,761

1 in 549

Son of Will, a short form of William. Wilson belongs to New York's older British surname base and remains common across both upstate counties and the state's largest cities.

#14

White english

37,230

1 in 557

Originally a nickname from Old English 'hwit' for someone with fair hair or complexion. White stayed common in New York because it arrived early and remained distributed across many regions rather than being tied to one immigrant stream.

#15

Lewis welsh

36,377

1 in 570

Usually derived from the given name Louis or Lewis, ultimately from the Germanic Hludwig. Lewis persists near the top in New York because it crosses several surname traditions at once, including British, Jewish, and Black American usage.

#16

Torres spanish

35,949

1 in 577

A Spanish place-name surname referring to someone who lived near a tower. Torres rose with the same Puerto Rican and wider Latino migration that elevated Rivera, Rodriguez, and Perez.

#17

Hernandez spanish

35,156

1 in 590

Son of Hernando or Fernando, from the Germanic name Ferdinand. Hernandez is another marker of how strongly Hispanic migration reshaped New York's statewide surname rankings.

#18

Jackson english

33,916

1 in 611

Son of Jack, a medieval diminutive of John. Jackson has long been prominent in Black New York, especially in New York City, which helps keep it in the statewide top 20.

#19

Martin french

33,153

1 in 625

From the personal name Martin, from Latin Martinus, meaning of Mars. Martin fits New York's layered history because it appears in older French and English lines as well as in Hispanic naming traditions.

#20

Anderson scottish

32,600

1 in 636

Son of Anders or Andrew, from Greek Andreas. Anderson reflects the northern European immigration that entered New York through its ports and spread into both the city and upstate industrial counties.

Local Insight

Uniquely New York

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

Cohen hebrew

Ranked #44 in New York versus #247 nationally. That is 203 spots higher here.

Cohen is far more visible in New York than nationally because New York became the country's largest center of Jewish immigration and settlement, first through Lower Manhattan and later through Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and the northern suburbs.

Goldstein german

Ranked #127 in New York versus #848 nationally. That is 721 spots higher here.

Goldstein is strongly overrepresented in New York for the same reason as Cohen: the state absorbed a huge share of eastern European Jewish immigration in the Ellis Island era, and many families stayed in the metropolitan region.

Wong chinese

Ranked #49 in New York versus #237 nationally. That is 188 spots higher here.

Wong ranks high because New York City built one of the nation's largest Chinese populations, with major communities in Manhattan Chinatown, Sunset Park, and Queens by 2010.

Chan chinese

Ranked #51 in New York versus #376 nationally. That is 325 spots higher here.

Chan is more common in New York than in the country as a whole because Cantonese and later broader Chinese migration made the surname especially visible in the city's long-established Chinese neighborhoods.

Singh indian

Ranked #33 in New York versus #273 nationally. That is 240 spots higher here.

Singh stands out because New York, especially Queens, became a major South Asian destination. Its high state rank reflects Sikh, Punjabi, and wider Indian and Indo-Caribbean migration into the city.

Etymology

New York Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate New York's top surnames. Williams, Johnson, Rodriguez, Jones, Davis, Gonzalez, Martinez, Perez, Wilson, Lewis, Hernandez, Jackson, and Anderson all descend from personal names, showing how British and Spanish naming systems shaped the state most strongly.

Williams (son of William) Johnson (son of John) Rodriguez (son of Rodrigo) Hernandez (son of Hernando)

Spanish-Language Names

Eight of New York's top 20 surnames are plainly Spanish-language names: Rodriguez, Rivera, Gonzalez, Martinez, Garcia, Perez, Torres, and Hernandez. That concentration reflects Puerto Rican migration to New York City after 1917 and especially after World War II, followed by later Dominican and broader Latino growth.

Rivera (riverbank) Garcia (from an old Iberian personal name) Perez (son of Pedro) Torres (near a tower)

Gateway-City Names

New York's role as the country's biggest port of entry left a wider surname mix than most states. Lee reaches the top 10, while Cohen, Wong, Chan, Kim, Singh, and Patel all rank unusually high because the state absorbed large Jewish, Chinese, Korean, and South Asian populations through New York City.

Lee (clearing; also Chinese and Korean surname traditions) Cohen (priest) Wong (Chinese surname) Singh (lion)

Quick Answers

Why are Rodriguez and Rivera so common in New York?

Rodriguez and Rivera rank high in New York because the state, and especially New York City, became the main mainland destination for Puerto Rican migrants in the 20th century. Later Dominican and broader Latino migration reinforced the same Spanish-language surname layer.

Why isn't Smith the most common last name in New York?

Smith is only 61st in New York because the state's population is unusually diverse. Large Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Chinese, Korean, and South Asian communities lifted many other surnames above the national standard leader.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in New York — Primary source for New York surname counts, frequency ratios, state ranks, and national rank comparisons
U.S. Census Bureau - New York 2010 Census Release — Official 2010 New York population totals and demographic context
New York State - Land of Opportunity — Official New York history source for Dutch New Netherland and the colony's early diversity
National Park Service - Ellis Island History & Culture — Official source for Ellis Island's role as the nation's busiest immigration station from 1892 to 1924
National Park Service - American Latino Theme Study: Immigration — Historical background on Puerto Rican migration to New York after 1917 and especially after World War II
NYC Department of City Planning - Total Asian Population by Selected Subgroups, 2010 — 2010 New York City counts for Chinese, Asian Indian, Korean, and other Asian populations used for surname context

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Williams
People named #1: 92,658
1 in every: 224 residents
Top origin: Spanish
State population: 19,378,102
Census year: 2010

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Most Common Surnames in New York

Dutch Beginnings, Ellis Island, and the Puerto Rican Century

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in New York

Uniquely New York