Most Common Last Names in Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Top 3 Top Surnames Heritage Local Insight

Top 3 — Wisconsin

#2 english

Smith

Occupational

31,351 people

1 in every 191 Wisconsin residents

Smith comes from Old English for a metalworker or blacksmith. In Wisconsin it remained common through Yankee settlement, town-building, mining, farming, and later industrial work in Milwaukee and the Fox River valley.

#1 scandinavian

Johnson

Patronymic

46,246 people

1 in every 130 Wisconsin residents

Johnson means 'son of John,' but in Wisconsin it was reinforced by Scandinavian forms such as Johansen, Johansson, and Jonsson. Its first-place rank reflects both broad American use and the state's strong Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish settlement.

#3 scandinavian

Anderson

Patronymic

27,968 people

1 in every 214 Wisconsin residents

Anderson means 'son of Anders' or Andrew. Wisconsin's Scandinavian communities made the name much more prominent than a purely English settlement pattern would have done.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

German Farms, Norwegian Churches, and Upper Midwest Towns

Wisconsin's modern surname map began on Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Oneida, and other Native homelands, then changed rapidly after statehood in 1848. The Wisconsin Historical Society notes that by 1850 one-third of the state's population was foreign-born, and later state promotion reached Europe in German, Norwegian, Dutch, and English. German settlement made Schmidt, Schultz, Meyer, Krueger, and Mueller unusually strong, while Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish families helped Johnson, Anderson, Olson, Peterson, Nelson, Larson, and Hanson outrank many standard English names.

Did you know? Krueger ranks eighteenth in Wisconsin but 817th nationally, one of the clearest signs that the state's German settlement history still shows up in ordinary phone-book surnames.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Wisconsin

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Johnson scandinavian

46,246

1 in 130

Smith english

31,351

1 in 191

Anderson scandinavian

27,968

1 in 214

Anderson means 'son of Anders' or Andrew. Wisconsin's Scandinavian communities made the name much more prominent than a purely English settlement pattern would have done.

Miller english

26,624

1 in 225

Miller is an occupational name for a grain miller. In Wisconsin it also captures German Mueller and Muller families who anglicized their spelling after settling in a state known for wheat, dairy, breweries, and small-town mills.

Nelson scandinavian

19,412

1 in 309

Nelson means 'son of Nels' or Nils, the Scandinavian form of Nicholas. Its high rank points to Norwegian and Swedish settlement across southern, western, and northern Wisconsin.

Olson scandinavian

19,326

1 in 310

Olson means 'son of Ole' or Olof. Few names in Wisconsin's top 20 signal Norwegian and Swedish farm settlement as clearly, especially because Olson ranks far higher here than it does nationally.

Brown english

18,548

1 in 323

Brown began as a nickname for brown hair, complexion, or clothing. In Wisconsin it belongs to the broad English-language layer that remained visible beneath later German and Scandinavian immigration.

Peterson scandinavian

18,463

1 in 325

Peterson means 'son of Peter,' often from Scandinavian Petersen or Petersson. Wisconsin's rank reflects the same Nordic migration that lifted Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, and Olson.

Williams welsh

17,113

1 in 350

Williams means 'son of William,' from the Germanic Willahelm. It is common across the United States, but in Wisconsin it sits below several immigrant surnames that became unusually strong in the Upper Midwest.

#10

Schmidt german

14,979

1 in 400

Schmidt is the German equivalent of Smith, meaning a blacksmith. Its top-10 position is a direct marker of Wisconsin's German-speaking settlement, especially in Milwaukee, eastern farm counties, and central Wisconsin.

#11

Jones welsh

14,924

1 in 402

Jones is the classic Welsh form meaning 'son of John.' In Wisconsin it remains common, but the names around it show how German and Scandinavian immigration altered the usual national ranking.

#12

Schultz german

14,000

1 in 428

Schultz comes from a German term for a village official, constable, or steward. Its high Wisconsin rank reflects German communities that kept the original surname form rather than translating it into English.

#13

Thompson english

12,560

1 in 477

Thompson means 'son of Thomas.' It fits both British-American settlement and Scandinavian families whose similar patronymic habits made -son names familiar in Wisconsin records.

#14

Davis welsh

12,433

1 in 482

Davis means 'son of David,' from a Hebrew name meaning beloved. In Wisconsin it represents general American migration rather than the state's most distinctive German or Scandinavian stream.

#15

Martin latin

11,840

1 in 506

Martin comes from Latin Martinus, connected to Mars. Wisconsin's Martin families include English, German, Irish, and French-Canadian lines, which helped the name remain common across ethnic communities.

#16

Larson scandinavian

11,466

1 in 523

Larson means 'son of Lars.' It ranks high because Norwegian and Swedish immigrants brought Larsen, Larsson, and similar spellings into Wisconsin, where many families settled into the simplified -son form.

#17

Meyer german

11,398

1 in 526

Meyer comes from a German word for a steward, tenant farmer, or estate manager. In Wisconsin it belongs to the large German rural and small-town surname layer that remained visible long after German-language schools and newspapers faded.

#18

Krueger german

10,352

1 in 579

Krueger, often Krüger in German, referred to an innkeeper, tavern keeper, or potter depending on region. Its top-20 rank is unusually Wisconsin-specific and points to the state's dense German settlement.

#19

Hanson scandinavian

10,154

1 in 590

Hanson means 'son of Hans,' a Scandinavian and German form of John. Wisconsin's rank reflects both Nordic settlement and the broader Germanic naming patterns that shaped the state.

#20

Mueller german

10,031

1 in 598

Mueller, often Müller in German, means miller. Its place beside Miller in Wisconsin's top 20 shows how the state preserved both the translated English form and the German spelling.

Local Insight

Uniquely Wisconsin

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

Wisconsin 101 - Norwegian Communities in Wisconsin english

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

University of Wisconsin Applied Population Laboratory - Hmong in Wisconsin: A Statistical Overview english

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

#1 Surname: Johnson
People named #1: 46,246
1 in every: 130 residents
Top origin: Scandinavian
State population: 5,686,986
Census year: 2026

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Most Common Last Names in Wisconsin

German Farms, Norwegian Churches, and Upper Midwest Towns

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Wisconsin

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