See also
This article includes a language-related list of lists.
Lists of the most common surnames by continent:
Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the Western tradition in which surnames are written last. Around 2,000 Han Chinese surnames are currently in use, but the great proportion of Han Chinese people use only a relatively small number of these surnames; 19 surnames are used by around half of the Han Chinese people, while 100 surnames are used by around 87% of the population. A report in 2019 gives the most common Chinese surnames as Wang and Li, each shared by over 100 million people in China. The remaining eight of the top ten most common Chinese surnames are Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Huang, Zhao, Wu and Zhou.
A surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several given names and surnames are possible in the full name. In modern times the "hereditary" requirement is a traditional, although common, interpretation, since in most countries a person has a right for a name change.
This is a series of lists by country. The lists generally cover topics related to sovereign countries; however, states with limited recognition are also included.
Zhang is the third most common surname in China and Taiwan, and it is one of the most common surnames in the world. It is spoken in the first tone Zhāng. It is a surname that exists in many languages and cultures, corresponding to the surname 'Archer' in English for example. In the Wade–Giles system of romanization, it is romanized as Chang, which is commonly used in Taiwan. Cheung is commonly used in Hong Kong as a romanization. It is the 24th name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem, contained in the verse 何呂施張 (Hé Lǚ Shī Zhāng).
Lee is a common surname in English-speaking countries.
Smith is an occupational surname originating in England. It is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the fifth most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. In the United States, the surname Smith is particularly prevalent among those of English, Scottish, and Irish descent, but is also a common surname among African-Americans, which can be attributed either to African slaves having been given the surname of their masters, or to being an occupational name, as some southern African-Americans took this surname to reflect their or their father's trade. 2,442,977 Americans shared the surname Smith at the time of the 2010 census, and more than 500,000 people shared it in the United Kingdom as of 2006. At the turn of the 20th century, the surname was sufficiently prevalent in England to have prompted the statement: "Common to every village in England, north, south, east, and west"; and sufficiently common on the (European) continent to be "common in most countries of Europe".
Cháng is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 常 (Cháng). It was listed 80th among the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames.
Kovačić, alternatively spelled Kovačič in Slovene and Slovak, Kovacsics in Hungarian, or transliterated as Kovacic/Kovacich/Kovachich in English, is one of the most common surnames in Croatia, Slovenia, as well as Hungary and Serbia. Etymologically it is a patronymic derivative of the surname Kovač, which is a Slavic cognate of the English surname Smith, and as such is closely related to the similar surname Kovačević.
Quán is the Pinyin romanization of the Chinese family names 權/权 and 全, as well as a customary spelling of 關. All written forms of the name are rare enough that they do not appear in the list of the 100 most common Chinese surnames.
Wilson is an English, Scottish, and Northern Irish surname, common in the English-speaking world, with several distinct origins. The name is derived from a patronymic form of Will, a popular medieval name. The medieval Will is derived from any of several names containing Old Norse or the first Germanic element wil, meaning "desire". Possibly the most common of these names was William, derived from elements wil and helm, meaning "desire" and "helmet", "protection". The surname Wilson is first recorded in England as Willeson in 1324 and in Scotland as Wulson in 1405.
Dutch names consist of one or more given names and a surname. The given name is usually gender-specific.
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge" and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males and also used as a surname, and is the basis for various derived given names and surnames.
Heritable family names were generally adopted rather late within Scandinavia. Nobility were the first to take names that would be passed on from one generation to the next. Later, clergy, artisans and merchants in cities took heritable names. Family names (surnames) were still used together with primary patronyms, which were used by all social classes. This meant that most families until modern times did not have surnames. Scandinavian patronyms were generally derived from the father's given name with the addition of a suffix meaning 'son' or 'daughter' or by occupation like Møller - naming tradition remained commonly used throughout the Scandinavian countries during the time of surname formation. Forms of the patronymic suffixes include: -son, -sen, -fen, -søn, -ler, -zen, -zon/zoon, and -sson,'datter'.
Kralj is a South Slavic surname and title. It literally means "king" and, according to Petar Skok, is derived from Charles the Great (Karolus) in the same sense as Tsar is to Caesar.
This article contains lists of the most common surnames in some of the countries of Asia, including Taiwan and six transcontinental countries. Countries are arranged in alphabetical order.
This article contains lists of the most common surnames in most of the countries of Europe, including Armenia, Kosovo, and five transcontinental countries but excluding five European microstates. Countries are arranged in alphabetical order.
This article contains lists of the most common surnames in some of the countries of North America, including one transcontinental country. Countries are arranged in alphabetical order.
This article contains lists of the most common surnames in some of the countries of Oceania. Countries are arranged in alphabetical order.
This article contains lists of the most common surnames in most of the countries of South America, including two transcontinental countries. Countries are arranged in alphabetical order.