Most Common Last Names in South Dakota

Top 3 — South Dakota

#2 scandinavian

Anderson

Patronymic

6,371 people

1 in every 143 South Dakota residents

Anderson means 'son of Anders' or Andrew. The name rose high in South Dakota because Anders was common in Scandinavian families, and because many settlers arrived through the same Upper Midwest migration stream that filled Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas.

#1 scandinavian

Johnson

Patronymic

9,509 people

1 in every 96 South Dakota residents

Johnson means 'son of John,' but in South Dakota much of its strength comes from Scandinavian forms such as Johansson, Jonsson, and Johnsen being simplified in American records. Its first-place rank fits the Norwegian and Swedish farm settlement that spread across the eastern counties after railroads and homestead claims opened the prairie.

#3 scandinavian

Nelson

Patronymic

5,016 people

1 in every 182 South Dakota residents

Nelson means 'son of Nels' or Nils, the Scandinavian form of Nicholas. Its top-three position is one of the clearest signs that South Dakota's surname list belongs to the northern Plains rather than to the older English-name pattern that puts Smith first in many states.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Scandinavian Farms, German-Russian Colonies, and Lakota Country

South Dakota's surname map sits on Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota homelands, but the modern statewide ranking was heavily reshaped by homesteading and railroad-era immigration. The National Park Service notes that South Dakota homesteaders came from Germany, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and other countries, and that mix explains why Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Olson, Peterson, Larson, Jensen, Hanson, Hansen, Christensen, and Carlson all land in the top 20. German-speaking settlement added another signature layer: Britannica identifies Germans as South Dakota's largest ancestry group by the early twenty-first century, including Mennonites, Hutterites, and Germans from Russia, whose communities remain especially visible in surnames like Hofer, Tschetter, Wipf, Waldner, Schmidt, Meyer, Weber, Fischer, and Wagner.

Did you know? Hofer ranks 25th statewide in South Dakota, far above its national rank, because the name is strongly tied to Hutterite and German-Russian communities whose Dakota Territory roots reach back to the 1870s.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in South Dakota

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Johnson scandinavian

9,509

1 in 96

Anderson scandinavian

6,371

1 in 143

Nelson scandinavian

5,016

1 in 182

Smith english

4,774

1 in 191

Smith comes from Old English for a metalworker or blacksmith. It remains one of South Dakota's most common surnames because it arrived with broad American migration, town-building, and farm service work, even though Scandinavian names outrank it here.

Olson scandinavian

4,238

1 in 215

Olson means 'son of Ole' or Olof. The name is a strong Norwegian and Swedish marker in South Dakota, especially in the eastern and southeastern farm country where Scandinavian Lutheran communities became part of everyday rural life.

Miller german

4,022

1 in 227

Miller is an occupational name for someone who ran a grain mill. In South Dakota it reflects both the common English surname and German-speaking immigrants whose Mueller or Muller forms were translated or simplified in American records.

Peterson scandinavian

3,907

1 in 233

Peterson means 'son of Peter,' often anglicized from Petersen or Petersson. Its high South Dakota rank follows the same Scandinavian farm settlement that pushed Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Olson, Larson, Jensen, and Hanson into the top 20.

Larson scandinavian

3,591

1 in 254

Larson means 'son of Lars.' The surname stayed unusually common because South Dakota drew many families from Nordic communities in Minnesota, Iowa, and directly from Scandinavia during the late nineteenth-century farm boom.

Jensen scandinavian

2,806

1 in 325

Jensen means 'son of Jens,' the Danish and Scandinavian form of John. Its top-10 rank points especially to Danish and Norwegian settlement in southeastern South Dakota, where Danish communities formed alongside Norwegian, Swedish, German, and Czech farm neighborhoods.

#10

Hanson scandinavian

2,783

1 in 328

Hanson means 'son of Hans,' a name used across Scandinavian and German-speaking families. In South Dakota it works as a northern Plains clue: a common European patronymic lifted by the state's immigrant farm settlement.

#11

Thompson english

2,660

1 in 343

Thompson means 'son of Thomas.' It represents the English-speaking and Upper Midwestern layer of South Dakota settlement, but its rank below several Scandinavian names shows how strongly Nordic naming patterns shaped the state.

#12

Brown english

2,615

1 in 349

Brown began as a nickname for someone with brown hair, complexion, or clothing. In South Dakota it is less an ethnic marker than a broad American surname that moved west with settlers, railroad workers, merchants, and town families.

#13

Jones welsh

2,407

1 in 379

Jones is the classic Welsh patronymic meaning 'son of John.' Its presence in the top 20 reflects national migration into South Dakota, while its position below Nordic names marks the state's difference from many older eastern and southern surname lists.

#14

Hansen scandinavian

2,390

1 in 381

Hansen means 'son of Hans' and preserves the -sen spelling common in Danish and Norwegian surnames. Its rank beside Hanson shows how South Dakota kept both Americanized and Scandinavian-looking spellings in everyday use.

#15

Schmidt german

2,113

1 in 431

Schmidt is the German equivalent of Smith, meaning a blacksmith. Its top-20 rank reflects South Dakota's large German-speaking settlement layer, including German-Russian families who often kept German surnames intact.

#16

Williams welsh

1,959

1 in 465

Williams means 'son of William.' It is one of the country's strongest general surnames, but in South Dakota it ranks well below Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, and Olson because the state's immigrant farm belt shifted the balance away from older Anglo-American patterns.

#17

Meyer german

1,935

1 in 471

Meyer comes from a German word for a steward, tenant farmer, or estate manager. In South Dakota it points to the state's German ancestry base, especially the rural communities where German churches, schools, and family networks helped preserve surnames across generations.

#18

Davis welsh

1,862

1 in 490

Davis means 'son of David.' Like Williams and Jones, it traveled west through ordinary American migration, but its South Dakota rank is held down by the unusually strong Scandinavian and German surname clusters above it.

#19

Christensen scandinavian

1,801

1 in 506

Christensen means 'son of Christen' or Christian. The -sen ending makes the name especially characteristic of Danish and Norwegian naming, which fits South Dakota's southeastern and eastern Scandinavian settlement districts.

#20

Carlson scandinavian

1,760

1 in 518

Carlson means 'son of Carl' or Karl. Its place in the top 20 shows how even the second tier of Scandinavian patronymics remains more visible in South Dakota than in most of the United States.

Local Insight

Uniquely South Dakota

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

Hofer german

Ranked #25 in South Dakota versus #4656 nationally. That is 4631 spots higher here.

Hofer is a German surname often associated in South Dakota with Hutterite and German-Russian family lines. Forebears places 14.11 percent of U.S. Hofers in South Dakota, a striking concentration for a state with less than one percent of the national population.

Tschetter german

Ranked #99 in South Dakota versus #22765 nationally. That is 22666 spots higher here.

Tschetter is one of South Dakota's clearest Hutterite-linked surnames. Forebears places 39.67 percent of U.S. Tschetters in the state, and South Dakota historical sources trace Hutterite settlement in Dakota Territory to the 1870s.

Wipf german

Ranked #101 in South Dakota versus #21444 nationally. That is 21343 spots higher here.

Wipf is another rare German-speaking surname that overperforms sharply in South Dakota, where Forebears places 36.61 percent of U.S. bearers. Its concentration fits the Hutterite colony network that became especially important along the James River basin.

Eagle native american

Ranked #75 in South Dakota versus #3789 nationally. That is 3714 spots higher here.

Eagle is far more visible in South Dakota than nationally, reflecting Lakota, Dakota, and other Indigenous naming histories in a state where American Indian communities remain a major part of the population. Related high-ranking names such as Bear and Hawk show the same northern Plains pattern.

Bordeaux french

Ranked #204 in South Dakota versus #10048 nationally. That is 9844 spots higher here.

Bordeaux is a French surname that survives in South Dakota through the older fur-trade and Native borderland world of the northern Plains. Its statewide rank is modest, but its national comparison is distinctive enough to mark it as one of the state's signature family names.

Etymology

South Dakota Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Scandinavian Patronymics

South Dakota's top 20 is dominated by Scandinavian patronymics. Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Olson, Peterson, Larson, Jensen, Hanson, Hansen, Christensen, and Carlson all descend from a father's given name, showing how strongly Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish farm settlement shaped the state.

Johnson (son of John) Olson (son of Ole) Jensen (son of Jens) Christensen (son of Christen)

German and German-Russian Names

German surnames form South Dakota's second major pattern. Miller, Schmidt, and Meyer appear in the top 20, while Hofer, Weber, Fischer, Wagner, Tschetter, Wipf, and Waldner show the heavier German-Russian, Mennonite, and Hutterite presence that distinguishes South Dakota from many neighboring states.

Miller (grain miller) Schmidt (blacksmith) Meyer (steward or tenant farmer) Hofer (farmstead or estate dweller)

Indigenous and Borderland Names

Several South Dakota surnames outside the top 20 preserve Native and fur-trade histories rather than mass European immigration. Eagle, Bear, Hawk, Janis, Little, Crow, and Bordeaux point to Lakota, Dakota, and mixed French-Indigenous family networks across the Missouri River country and reservation communities.

Eagle (Indigenous family name) Bear (Indigenous family name) Hawk (Indigenous family name) Bordeaux (French borderland surname)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in South Dakota?

The most common last names in South Dakota are Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Smith, and Olson. The full top 20 is unusually Scandinavian, with Peterson, Larson, Jensen, Hanson, Hansen, Christensen, and Carlson also ranking high.

Why are Scandinavian last names so common in South Dakota?

Scandinavian last names are common in South Dakota because Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish families settled heavily in the eastern and southeastern farm counties during the homesteading and railroad era. That history pushed patronymics like Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Olson, Peterson, Larson, Jensen, Hanson, and Hansen far above their national rankings.

Why are German last names so common in South Dakota?

German last names are common because German ancestry became South Dakota's largest European ancestry layer, including Mennonite, Hutterite, and German-Russian communities. That history shows up in common names like Miller, Schmidt, Meyer, Weber, Fischer, Wagner, Hofer, Tschetter, Wipf, and Waldner.

Why is Smith not the most common last name in South Dakota?

Smith is fourth in South Dakota because the state's settlement history was shaped more strongly by Scandinavian and German farm immigration than by older English-name populations. Johnson, Anderson, and Nelson all outrank Smith in the statewide surname data.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in South Dakota — Primary source for statewide surname rankings, counts, frequencies, and national rank comparisons
U.S. Census Bureau - South Dakota: 2010 Census Geography — Official population reference, including South Dakota's 2010 Census population of 814,180
National Park Service - Homesteading in the Badlands — Context on South Dakota homesteading and the immigrant groups who settled the state
Britannica - South Dakota: People — Overview of South Dakota population composition, including German, German-Russian, Hutterite, Mennonite, and Scandinavian settlement patterns
South Dakota State Historical Society - South Dakota Immigrants — State historical context on immigrant settlement, the Dakota Boom, and European farm communities
Germans from Russia Heritage Collection - Hutterites — Background on Hutterite migration from Russia to Dakota Territory and later South Dakota colony history

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Johnson
People named #1: 9,509
1 in every: 96 residents
Top origin: Scandinavian
State population: 814,180
Census year: 2014

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Most Common Last Names in South Dakota

Scandinavian Farms, German-Russian Colonies, and Lakota Country

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in South Dakota

Uniquely South Dakota