Genealogy & Demographics Utah 2010 Census Top 20 Surnames

Most Common Last Names in Utah

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Utah

Top 20 Most Common Surnames - 2010 Census

Top 3 — Utah

#2 english
Johnson
Patronymic
26,445 people
1 in every 122 Utah residents

Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', God is gracious. Johnson is common across Utah partly because it fit both English naming traditions and Scandinavian forms such as Johansson and Johansen that were often simplified in English-speaking communities.

#1 english
Smith
Occupational
28,103 people
1 in every 115 Utah residents

From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith leads Utah because it arrived through several channels at once: early Anglo-American Mormon pioneers, British converts, mining towns, railroad labor, and later migration into the Wasatch Front.

#3 scottish
Anderson
Patronymic
22,925 people
1 in every 141 Utah residents

Son of Andrew or Anders, from Greek 'Andreas'. Anderson ranks unusually high in Utah because Scandinavian Latter-day Saint converts settled throughout the Wasatch Front, Cache Valley, Sanpete County, and other Mormon farming communities.

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Mormon Gathering, Scandinavian Converts, and Salt Lake Growth

Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, and the church's organized gathering system soon drew converts from Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and other parts of Europe. Danish immigration became especially visible in Utah during the 1860s, leaving Jensen, Christensen, Hansen, Larsen, Olsen, Nielsen, and Sorensen far above their national ranks. By 2010, Salt Lake County held 1,029,655 residents, so statewide surname totals also reflect a larger urban and Hispanic population than older pioneer stereotypes suggest.

Did you know? Christensen ranks fifth in Utah but only 372nd nationally, and Forebears attributes more than 15 percent of all U.S. Christensens to Utah.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Utah

Showing all 20 surnames

#1
Smith english
28,103
1 in 115
From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith leads Utah because it arrived through several channels at once: early Anglo-American Mormon pioneers, British converts, mining towns, railroad labor, and later migration into the Wasatch Front.
#2
Johnson english
26,445
1 in 122
Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', God is gracious. Johnson is common across Utah partly because it fit both English naming traditions and Scandinavian forms such as Johansson and Johansen that were often simplified in English-speaking communities.
#3
Anderson scottish
22,925
1 in 141
Son of Andrew or Anders, from Greek 'Andreas'. Anderson ranks unusually high in Utah because Scandinavian Latter-day Saint converts settled throughout the Wasatch Front, Cache Valley, Sanpete County, and other Mormon farming communities.
#4
Jensen danish
17,442
1 in 185
Son of Jens, the Danish form of John. Jensen's fourth-place rank is one of the clearest surname traces of Danish Mormon immigration, which peaked in Utah during the Civil War years and remained strongly tied to church communities.
#5
Christensen danish
15,792
1 in 204
Son of Christen, a Scandinavian form of Christian. Christensen is far more common in Utah than nationally because Danish converts settled in concentrated Mormon towns rather than dispersing through many unrelated immigrant neighborhoods.
#6
Jones welsh
15,671
1 in 206
A Welsh patronymic meaning son of John. Jones came to Utah with British and Welsh Latter-day Saint converts, including mining families who later worked in coal and metal districts from Carbon County to the Tintic region.
#7
Brown english
15,291
1 in 211
From Old English 'brún', a nickname for brown hair or complexion. Brown spread through Utah with early American and British Mormon families and remained common as the state absorbed twentieth-century migrants into Salt Lake and Utah counties.
#8
Hansen danish
15,224
1 in 212
Son of Hans, the Germanic and Scandinavian form of John. Hansen's top-10 rank points directly to Danish and Norwegian settlement in Utah, especially in Mormon communities where Scandinavian converts often arrived as families.
#9
Peterson english
14,768
1 in 218
Son of Peter, from Greek 'Petros', rock. In Utah, Peterson can be English, Scottish, or an anglicized Scandinavian Petersen, making it a bridge surname between older British converts and later Nordic Mormon immigration.
#10
Davis welsh
13,556
1 in 238
Son of David, from Hebrew 'Dawid', beloved. Davis entered Utah with Welsh and English converts and appears strongly in pioneer-era settlement records across the Wasatch Front and central Utah farming towns.
#11
Taylor english
13,030
1 in 248
From Old French 'tailleur', one who cuts cloth. Taylor was already common among English-speaking converts before Utah statehood in 1896, then gained more bearers through railroad, mining, military, and suburban migration.
#12
Nelson english
13,025
1 in 248
Son of Neil or Nell, with parallel Scandinavian forms meaning son of Niels. Nelson ranks high in Utah because it overlaps British, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish naming streams that all fed Mormon settlement.
#13
Williams welsh
12,280
1 in 263
Son of William, from Norman 'Willahelm', will plus helm. Williams is common in Utah through Welsh and English Mormon converts, with an added presence in mining counties where Welsh labor traditions were especially strong.
#14
Miller english
11,202
1 in 288
From Middle English 'miller', one who ran a grain mill. Utah farming settlements needed mills early, but Miller's rank mostly reflects repeated arrival through English, German, and broad American migration.
#15
Larsen danish
10,116
1 in 319
Son of Lars, the Scandinavian form of Lawrence. Larsen is one of Utah's most visible Danish and Norwegian surnames, tied to the same nineteenth-century LDS migration that lifted Jensen, Christensen, and Hansen.
#16
Wilson english
9,424
1 in 342
Son of Will, a short form of William. Wilson followed British and American converts into Utah's pioneer settlements and later remained common in the growing Salt Lake City and Ogden urban corridor.
#17
Clark english
9,227
1 in 350
From Old English 'clerc', a clerk, cleric, or literate scribe. Clark is a broad Anglo-American surname in Utah, strengthened by pioneer families, railroad-era migrants, and later national movement into the Wasatch Front.
#18
Thompson english
8,407
1 in 384
Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson has both English and Scandinavian pathways in Utah, which helps explain its strength in a state shaped by British converts and Nordic LDS immigration.
#19
Allen english
8,345
1 in 387
From the personal name Alan, possibly Celtic in origin. Allen appears across Utah's older Mormon settlement belt and in later American migration, giving it a statewide pattern rather than a single ethnic signature.
#20
Martinez spanish
8,228
1 in 392
Son of Martín, from Latin 'Martinus', of Mars. Martinez enters Utah's top 20 because Hispanic communities grew across Salt Lake, Weber, Utah, and agricultural counties, adding a modern layer to the state's older Anglo and Scandinavian surname base.

Local Insight

Uniquely Utah

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

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in Utah english

Ranked #0 in Utah and not reliably ranked nationally in this dataset.

Utah History Encyclopedia - Immigration and Scandinavian Settlement english

Ranked #0 in Utah and not reliably ranked nationally in this dataset.

#1 Surname
Smith
People named #1
28,103
1 in every
115 residents
Top origin
English
State population
2,763,885
Census year
2010

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