Census: Top 10 Last Names Are the Same as in 2010

The most popular last names in the US might be unchanged from the previous decade, but Asian surnames were the fastest-growing at the start of this decade, according to 2020 Census data, the US Census Bureau said Tuesday. The top three of those were "Zhang," "Liu," and "Wang," none of which made it into the top 10:

1. Smith.
2. Johnson.
3. Williams.
4. Brown.
5. Jones.
6. Garcia.
7. Miller.
8. Rodriguez.
9. Davis.
10. Martinez.

The only change from 2010 was "Rodriguez" which jumped ahead of "Davis" for the No. 8 spot. The Census Bureau notes that many of the most common names are the same as in the first census in 1790, when the five most common last names were Smith, Brown, Johnson, Davis, and Jones, with Williams in seventh place and Miller in eighth.

• The 2020 Census was the first since 1990 to provide data on first names, although the Social Security Administration keeps a count of the most popular male and female first names for babies each year, the AP reports.
• The Census tally showed that the most popular male first names at the start of this decade were "Michael," "John," "James," "David," and "Robert," while the most common female first names were "Mary," "Maria," "Jennifer," "Elizabeth," and "Patricia."

• Not too much has changed since 1990. Back then, the most popular male first names were "James," "John," "Robert," "Michael," and "William." The most popular female first names were "Mary," "Patricia," "Linda," "Barbara," and "Elizabeth." Unlike the Social Security Administration's count, the Census Bureau's tally includes everyone, not just newborns.
• "The names people choose are a function of what they are exposed to, so culture certainly plays a role, but so does social influence," said Jonah Berger, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania. "People are constantly exposed to names of others around them, and that can shape not only which names they like, but also which ones they avoid."