Most Common Last Names in Ohio

Top 3 — Ohio

#2 english

Miller

Occupational

79,977 people

1 in every 148 Ohio residents

From Middle English 'miller', the operator of a grain mill. In Ohio the name also absorbed many German Müller families, which helps explain why Miller ranks second statewide rather than drifting lower as it does in many neighboring states.

#1 english

Smith

Occupational

118,378 people

1 in every 100 Ohio residents

From Old English 'smið', a metalworker or blacksmith. Smith leads Ohio because it belonged to the state's earliest Anglo-American settlers and stayed common in every later setting, from farm counties in the interior to factory cities such as Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown.

#3 english

Johnson

Patronymic

67,656 people

1 in every 176 Ohio residents

Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', meaning God is gracious. Johnson came early with settlers from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New England, then expanded further in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus during the Great Migration.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

German Ohio, Amish Country, and Industrial Cities

Ohio's surname map was built in layers. German immigrants settled heavily along the Ohio River and in cities such as Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo; Ohio History Connection notes that by 1910 they made up half of Cincinnati's population. East-central Ohio added another German-speaking layer through Amish and Mennonite settlement in Holmes, Wayne, Tuscarawas, and Stark counties, while Cleveland's 1910-1930 industrial growth and later migration from rural Appalachia reinforced names such as Williams, Jackson, Hall, and Adkins in the state's cities.

Did you know? Ohio is one of the few large states where Miller outranks both Johnson and Williams, showing how German and Amish settlement pushed an occupational surname into second place statewide.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Ohio

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Smith english

118,378

1 in 100

Miller english

79,977

1 in 148

Johnson english

67,656

1 in 176

Brown english

63,225

1 in 188

From Old English 'brūn', originally a nickname for brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown is one of Ohio's broadest surnames, common in both old river counties and twentieth-century industrial neighborhoods.

Williams welsh

58,587

1 in 203

Son of William, from the Germanic personal name 'Willahelm'. In Ohio, Williams rose not only through older British settlement but through Black migration into Cleveland and other industrial cities in the twentieth century.

Jones welsh

56,556

1 in 210

A Welsh patronymic meaning son of John. Jones spread into Ohio through the same upland migration routes that brought many Welsh and border-British families into the Ohio Valley and the southern half of the state.

Davis welsh

52,678

1 in 225

Son of David, from the Hebrew name meaning beloved. Davis is deeply rooted in southern and eastern Ohio and remained strong in cities linked to steel, rubber, and rail work.

Wilson english

36,838

1 in 322

Son of Will, a short form of William. Wilson fits Ohio's classic settlement pattern, arriving with Scots-Irish and English families and staying common through later urban growth.

Moore english

35,205

1 in 337

From Old English 'mōr', someone who lived near moorland or open ground. In Ohio, Moore belongs to both old rural lineages and urban families tied to the state's nineteenth- and twentieth-century industrial belt.

#10

Thomas welsh

34,799

1 in 341

From the personal name Thomas, from Aramaic for twin. Thomas is especially at home in Ohio's Welsh-influenced naming layer and later gained additional weight in Black urban communities.

#11

Taylor english

34,544

1 in 344

From Old French 'tailleur', a cutter of cloth. Taylor appears in Ohio from the frontier era onward, but its durability comes from how easily an old trade surname traveled from courthouse towns into modern suburbs and cities.

#12

Thompson english

29,786

1 in 399

Son of Thomas, with the inserted 'p' added in later English spelling. Thompson is common across Ohio's Scots-Irish and Appalachian-descended communities, especially in the southern and eastern counties.

#13

Clark english

29,420

1 in 404

From 'clerk', originally a literate or clerical worker. Clark ranks high in Ohio because it was already widespread in the early republic and remained strong in towns shaped by law, trade, and county government.

#14

Jackson english

28,767

1 in 413

Son of Jack, a medieval form of John. In Ohio the surname carries both older frontier roots and a strong twentieth-century urban layer tied to Black migration into Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton.

#15

Martin french

28,729

1 in 413

From Latin 'Martinus', associated with Mars. Ohio's Martins come from several streams at once, including early Anglo-American settlement, German and French Catholic migration, and the broad surname mix of its industrial cities.

#16

White english

28,321

1 in 419

From Old English 'hwīt', a nickname for someone with fair hair or complexion. White stayed prominent in Ohio because it was established early and remained common across both countryside and city neighborhoods.

#17

Baker english

27,624

1 in 430

An occupational surname for a baker of bread, from Old English 'bæcere'. Baker ranks higher in Ohio than nationally, which fits a state where both English surnames and German craft communities stayed unusually visible.

#18

Hall english

26,866

1 in 442

From Old English 'heall', for someone who lived or worked at a hall or manor house. In Ohio, Hall is especially associated with the state's Appalachian and upland South migration streams, which kept the surname dense in the southeast and in working-class city neighborhoods.

#19

Anderson scottish

26,668

1 in 445

Son of Andrew or Anders, from Greek 'Andreas'. Anderson in Ohio reflects both older Scots-Irish settlement and smaller northern European immigrant currents that entered the state through lake ports and rail cities.

#20

Harris english

25,972

1 in 457

Son of Harry, a medieval form of Henry. Harris remained strong in Ohio because it belonged to several migration layers at once, from early settlers in the south-central counties to later Black and Appalachian arrivals in the cities.

Local Insight

Uniquely Ohio

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

Snyder german

Ranked #41 in Ohio versus #144 nationally. That is 103 spots higher here.

Snyder is the anglicized form of German 'Schneider', meaning tailor. It is more common in Ohio than nationally because Pennsylvania German settlement crossed into eastern and central Ohio, then overlapped with Amish and Mennonite communities in Holmes, Wayne, and Tuscarawas counties.

Myers german

Ranked #32 in Ohio versus #84 nationally. That is 52 spots higher here.

Myers often reflects German 'Meier' or 'Meyer', originally a steward or tenant farmer. Its strong Ohio showing likely comes from the same German and Pennsylvania Dutch settlement belt that shaped Fairfield County, the canal corridor, and east-central Ohio farm country.

Wagner german

Ranked #57 in Ohio versus #139 nationally. That is 82 spots higher here.

Wagner means wagon maker in German. Ohio's high Wagner rank tracks the state's large German population, especially in Cincinnati and other nineteenth-century manufacturing centers where German-language institutions stayed strong for generations.

Weaver german

Ranked #68 in Ohio versus #195 nationally. That is 127 spots higher here.

Although Weaver can be English, in Ohio its high rank likely reflects the anglicized German surname 'Weber' as well as older English usage. The name fits a state where German-speaking religious communities and small-town craft traditions remained unusually durable.

Adkins english

Ranked #70 in Ohio versus #448 nationally. That is 378 spots higher here.

Adkins is a patronymic derived from Adam with a medieval diminutive ending. It stands out in Ohio because southeastern Ohio is part of Appalachia, and later migration from Appalachian communities into Cincinnati, Dayton, and other work-centered cities helped carry family names that are rarer in the nation as a whole.

Etymology

Ohio Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Ohio's top 20 contains a thick block of occupational surnames, including Smith, Miller, Taylor, Clark, and Baker. That pattern fits a state shaped first by farm and market towns, then by workshops, mills, and factories; Miller also carries an extra Ohio layer because many German Müllers likely anglicized the spelling.

Smith (metalworker) Miller (grain mill operator) Taylor (tailor) Baker (bread maker)

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate much of Ohio's upper ranking: Johnson, Williams, Jones, Davis, Wilson, Thomas, Thompson, Jackson, Anderson, and Harris all descend from personal names. They arrived through British settlement, then stayed common because later migration into Ohio's industrial cities reinforced the same broad surname pool.

Johnson (son of John) Williams (son of William) Thompson (son of Thomas) Anderson (son of Andrew or Anders)

German-American and Amish Names

Ohio's most distinctive surname layer sits just below the top 20, where German and Pennsylvania Dutch names rank much higher than national averages would predict. Cincinnati's nineteenth-century German immigration and east-central Ohio's Amish and Mennonite settlements help explain why Miller, Snyder, Myers, Wagner, and Weaver feel especially at home in Ohio.

Snyder (tailor) Myers (steward or tenant farmer) Wagner (wagon maker) Weaver (weaver; also anglicized Weber)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in Ohio?

The most common last names in Ohio are Smith, Miller, Johnson, Brown, and Williams. Ohio stands out because Miller ranks second statewide, higher than in many other large states.

Why is Miller such a common last name in Ohio?

Miller is unusually common in Ohio because the state had a very large German population, especially in Cincinnati and the east-central farming belt, and many families named Müller used the English spelling Miller. Amish settlement in Holmes County and nearby counties also helped keep German-derived surnames prominent.

Why are Snyder and Myers more common in Ohio than nationally?

Both surnames reflect Ohio's strong German and Pennsylvania Dutch settlement history. Snyder comes from Schneider and Myers often reflects Meier or Meyer, and both stayed dense in the same eastern and central Ohio regions where German-speaking farming and Anabaptist communities endured.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in Ohio — Primary source for Ohio surname counts, frequency ratios, state ranks, and national rank comparisons used on this page
U.S. Census Bureau - QuickFacts: Ohio — Official Ohio population total from the 2010 Census used for statewide context
Ohio Memory - From Deutschland to Ohio: German-American Newspapers — Ohio History Connection overview of German settlement in Ohio, including the note that Germans made up half of Cincinnati's population by 1910
National Park Service - Carl Stokes: A Pioneer of Environmental Justice — Used for Cleveland's industrial boom and Great Migration context in twentieth-century Ohio
Ohio History Connection - Campus Martius Museum — State history source noting later migrations of rural Ohioans to cities and industrial centers

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Smith
People named #1: 118,378
1 in every: 100 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 11,536,504
Census year: 2010

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Most Common Last Names in Ohio

German Ohio, Amish Country, and Industrial Cities

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Ohio

Uniquely Ohio