English American - English Family Names

English Family Names

Of the top ten family names in the United States, eight have English origins or having possible mixed British Isles heritage, the other two being of Spanish origin. This is the first time two surnames of non-British Isles origin have been in the top 10 most common family names. Many African Americans have their origins in slavery (i.e. slave name). Many of them came to bear the surnames of their former owners. Many freed slaves either created family names themselves or adopted the name of their former master. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, the top ten surnames in the United States are: In the last UK Census in 2001, surnames in England can be compared to the United States with 6 of the family names in England being in both their top ten. Many English surnames are also found in Ireland. This is attributable to a number of factors, including the Protestant Plantation of Ireland, as well as the imposition of the Penal Laws in the Middle Ages, which forced many Irish people to Anglicize their surnames. Also, in the 9th century, Viking invaders brought many Norse names to Ireland that they had already brought to England when they established and settled the Danelaw. Although some Scandinavian names may have been brought to England in pre-Viking times, especially in the North and East (who says?). Moreover, the Anglo-Normans who invaded Ireland in the 1170s brought many Norman French names which they had already spread to England (again .

Name Rank - 2000 Number Country of Origin England - 2001
Smith 1 2,376,207 England, Ireland, Scotland Smith
Johnson 2 1,857,160 England Jones
Williams 3 1,534,042 England, Wales Taylor
Brown 4 1,380,145 England, Ireland, Scotland Brown
Jones 5 1,362,755 England, Wales Williams
Miller 6 1,127,803 England, Scotland, Germany, France Wilson
Davis 7 1,072,335 England, Wales Johnson
García 8 858,289 Spain Davies
Rodríguez 9 804,240 Spain Robinson
Wilson 10 783,051 England, Scotland Wright

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