New York Demographics
New York has a population of 20,201,249 (2020 Census). The demographic composition helps explain which surnames are most prevalent in the state.
Top 200 Most Common Surnames in New York
These surnames are estimated to be the most common in New York based on national surname frequency data weighted by NY's demographic composition (BISG method).
| # | Surname | Origin | Est. Frequency | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith | English | 69,979 | #1 |
| 2 | Johnson | English | 49,758 | #2 |
| 3 | Miller | English | 37,020 | #7 |
| 4 | Williams | Welsh/English | 36,693 | #3 |
| 5 | Brown | English | 36,662 | #4 |
| 6 | Jones | Welsh/English | 35,399 | #5 |
| 7 | Davis | Welsh/English | 29,634 | #8 |
| 8 | Anderson | English/Scandinavian | 23,286 | #15 |
| 9 | Wilson | English | 22,256 | #14 |
| 10 | Martin | English/French | 20,802 | #20 |
| 11 | Taylor | English | 20,518 | #17 |
| 12 | Moore | English/Irish | 19,978 | #18 |
| 13 | Thompson | English | 18,820 | #23 |
| 14 | Thomas | Welsh/English | 18,224 | #16 |
| 15 | White | English | 18,041 | #24 |
| 16 | Garcia | Spanish | 16,754 | #6 |
| 17 | Clark | English | 16,614 | #27 |
| 18 | Rodriguez | Spanish | 15,692 | #9 |
| 19 | Martinez | Spanish | 15,271 | #10 |
| 20 | Jackson | English | 14,952 | #19 |
| 21 | Harris | English/Welsh | 14,944 | #25 |
| 22 | Hernandez | Spanish | 14,727 | #11 |
| 23 | Lewis | Welsh/English | 13,579 | #29 |
| 24 | Walker | English | 13,435 | #31 |
| 25 | Allen | English/Celtic | 13,434 | #33 |
| 26 | Young | English | 13,247 | #32 |
| 27 | King | English | 13,218 | #34 |
| 28 | Baker | English | 12,921 | #44 |
| 29 | Nelson | English/Scandinavian | 12,852 | #43 |
| 30 | Wright | English | 12,587 | #35 |
| 31 | Adams | English | 12,581 | #42 |
| 32 | Lopez | Spanish | 12,497 | #12 |
| 33 | Robinson | English | 12,355 | #30 |
| 34 | Lee | English/Chinese/Korean | 12,294 | #21 |
| 35 | Gonzalez | Spanish | 11,940 | #13 |
| 36 | Hall | English | 11,837 | #45 |
| 37 | Hill | English | 11,756 | #39 |
| 38 | Scott | English/Scottish | 11,432 | #36 |
| 39 | Roberts | Welsh/English | 11,367 | #50 |
| 40 | Campbell | Scottish | 11,326 | #47 |
| 41 | Green | English | 10,878 | #41 |
| 42 | Phillips | English/Welsh | 10,827 | #52 |
| 43 | Mitchell | English | 10,086 | #48 |
| 44 | Evans | Welsh | 9,975 | #53 |
| 45 | Perez | Spanish | 9,763 | #22 |
| 46 | Murphy | Irish | 9,756 | #64 |
| 47 | Carter | English | 9,640 | #49 |
| 48 | Collins | Irish/English | 9,505 | #59 |
| 49 | Parker | English | 9,484 | #56 |
| 50 | Cook | English | 9,460 | #65 |
| 51 | Turner | English | 9,438 | #54 |
| 52 | Morris | Welsh/English | 9,333 | #62 |
| 53 | Stewart | Scottish/English | 9,178 | #61 |
| 54 | Rogers | English | 8,989 | #66 |
| 55 | Peterson | English/Scandinavian | 8,886 | #71 |
| 56 | Edwards | English | 8,819 | #58 |
| 57 | Sanchez | Spanish | 8,777 | #26 |
| 58 | Morgan | Welsh | 8,546 | #69 |
| 59 | Wood | English | 8,260 | #84 |
| 60 | Cox | English | 8,232 | #78 |
| 61 | Kelly | Irish | 8,140 | #74 |
| 62 | Bailey | English | 8,071 | #72 |
| 63 | Reed | English | 7,952 | #73 |
| 64 | Ramirez | Spanish | 7,866 | #28 |
| 65 | Cooper | English | 7,845 | #70 |
| 66 | Ward | English | 7,755 | #79 |
| 67 | Bennett | English | 7,433 | #86 |
| 68 | Myers | English | 7,351 | #96 |
| 69 | Sullivan | European | 7,242 | #105 |
| 70 | Hughes | Welsh/English | 7,207 | #90 |
| 71 | Howard | English | 7,161 | #75 |
| 72 | Long | English | 7,029 | #97 |
| 73 | Watson | English | 6,939 | #81 |
| 74 | Gray | English/Scottish | 6,915 | #87 |
| 75 | Price | Welsh | 6,915 | #91 |
| 76 | Fisher | English | 6,760 | #112 |
| 77 | Richardson | English | 6,733 | #80 |
| 78 | Russell | Unknown | 6,667 | #104 |
| 79 | Brooks | English | 6,559 | #82 |
| 80 | Ross | Scottish | 6,460 | #98 |
| 81 | Foster | English | 6,452 | #99 |
| 82 | Torres | Spanish/Portuguese | 6,299 | #37 |
| 83 | Powell | English | 6,247 | #101 |
| 84 | Reynolds | Unknown | 6,231 | #121 |
| 85 | Perry | Unknown | 6,210 | #103 |
| 86 | Flores | Spanish | 6,166 | #40 |
| 87 | Sanders | English | 6,038 | #94 |
| 88 | Barnes | Spanish/Portuguese | 5,934 | #110 |
| 89 | James | English | 5,921 | #85 |
| 90 | West | Unknown | 5,823 | #125 |
| 91 | Butler | English | 5,817 | #108 |
| 92 | Cole | Unknown | 5,805 | #126 |
| 93 | Bell | Unknown | 5,790 | #106 |
| 94 | Stevens | Unknown | 5,779 | #135 |
| 95 | Hamilton | English | 5,745 | #119 |
| 96 | Graham | English | 5,723 | #120 |
| 97 | Patterson | English | 5,708 | #117 |
| 98 | Jenkins | Unknown | 5,681 | #102 |
| 99 | Henderson | English | 5,660 | #109 |
| 100 | Olson | English | 5,649 | #157 |
| 101 | Rivera | Spanish | 5,610 | #46 |
| 102 | Wallace | Unknown | 5,573 | #123 |
| 103 | Gibson | English | 5,513 | #130 |
| 104 | Jordan | Unknown | 5,500 | #116 |
| 105 | Kennedy | Unknown | 5,497 | #146 |
| 106 | Snyder | English | 5,497 | #165 |
| 107 | Hayes | Spanish/Portuguese | 5,492 | #127 |
| 108 | Murray | Unknown | 5,484 | #136 |
| 109 | Mcdonald | Irish/Scottish | 5,424 | #143 |
| 110 | Ellis | Unknown | 5,393 | #131 |
| 111 | Simmons | Unknown | 5,365 | #114 |
| 112 | Griffin | Unknown | 5,352 | #122 |
| 113 | Wagner | English | 5,286 | #173 |
| 114 | Gomez | Spanish | 5,251 | #51 |
| 115 | Alexander | English | 5,226 | #118 |
| 116 | Meyer | English | 5,208 | #183 |
| 117 | Wells | Unknown | 5,178 | #147 |
| 118 | Coleman | English | 5,146 | #107 |
| 119 | Burns | Unknown | 5,132 | #155 |
| 120 | Schmidt | German | 5,089 | #185 |
| 121 | Harrison | English | 5,078 | #141 |
| 122 | Marshall | Unknown | 5,049 | #139 |
| 123 | Webb | Unknown | 5,033 | #152 |
| 124 | Owens | Unknown | 5,011 | #140 |
| 125 | Diaz | Spanish | 4,998 | #55 |
| 126 | Fox | European | 4,991 | #180 |
| 127 | Stone | Italian | 4,945 | #178 |
| 128 | Bryant | Unknown | 4,943 | #128 |
| 129 | Ford | English | 4,903 | #137 |
| 130 | Ryan | European | 4,837 | #193 |
| 131 | Rose | Unknown | 4,810 | #177 |
| 132 | Tucker | English | 4,763 | #153 |
| 133 | Hansen | Scandinavian | 4,737 | #204 |
| 134 | Cruz | Spanish/Portuguese | 4,683 | #57 |
| 135 | Simpson | English | 4,670 | #158 |
| 136 | Palmer | English | 4,645 | #172 |
| 137 | Shaw | Unknown | 4,633 | #164 |
| 138 | Freeman | English | 4,621 | #151 |
| 139 | Crawford | English | 4,619 | #156 |
| 140 | Mills | Unknown | 4,595 | #182 |
| 141 | Weaver | English | 4,585 | #192 |
| 142 | Porter | English | 4,580 | #159 |
| 143 | Nichols | Unknown | 4,576 | #189 |
| 144 | Hunt | Unknown | 4,573 | #169 |
| 145 | Black | Unknown | 4,562 | #174 |
| 146 | Woods | Unknown | 4,537 | #144 |
| 147 | Reyes | Spanish | 4,535 | #60 |
| 148 | Rice | Unknown | 4,528 | #184 |
| 149 | Mason | English | 4,508 | #166 |
| 150 | Hoffman | English | 4,508 | #224 |
| 151 | Robertson | English | 4,495 | #175 |
| 152 | Henry | Unknown | 4,485 | #149 |
| 153 | Kelley | English | 4,469 | #198 |
| 154 | Morales | Spanish | 4,444 | #63 |
| 155 | Johnston | English | 4,419 | #225 |
| 156 | Hicks | Unknown | 4,399 | #170 |
| 157 | Gordon | Unknown | 4,381 | #161 |
| 158 | Dunn | French | 4,367 | #197 |
| 159 | Ferguson | English | 4,335 | #188 |
| 160 | Arnold | Unknown | 4,333 | #201 |
| 161 | Warren | Unknown | 4,327 | #181 |
| 162 | Peters | Unknown | 4,326 | #205 |
| 163 | Pierce | Unknown | 4,304 | #202 |
| 164 | Stephens | Unknown | 4,253 | #190 |
| 165 | Hart | Unknown | 4,251 | #207 |
| 166 | Hunter | English | 4,250 | #160 |
| 167 | Elliott | Unknown | 4,243 | #210 |
| 168 | Carroll | Unknown | 4,240 | #215 |
| 169 | Gardner | English | 4,238 | #194 |
| 170 | Larson | English | 4,224 | #247 |
| 171 | Carpenter | English | 4,203 | #231 |
| 172 | Gutierrez | Spanish | 4,170 | #67 |
| 173 | Carlson | English | 4,157 | #252 |
| 174 | Ortiz | Spanish/Basque | 4,113 | #68 |
| 175 | Payne | Unknown | 4,109 | #195 |
| 176 | Boyd | Unknown | 4,107 | #176 |
| 177 | Obrien | European | 4,062 | #258 |
| 178 | Duncan | French | 4,048 | #212 |
| 179 | Lane | French/Spanish | 4,044 | #216 |
| 180 | Richards | Unknown | 3,982 | #228 |
| 181 | Burke | European | 3,972 | #246 |
| 182 | Cunningham | English | 3,969 | #211 |
| 183 | Holmes | Spanish/Portuguese | 3,962 | #171 |
| 184 | Knight | Unknown | 3,962 | #209 |
| 185 | Jensen | Scandinavian | 3,962 | #265 |
| 186 | Spencer | English | 3,943 | #199 |
| 187 | Ray | Unknown | 3,934 | #220 |
| 188 | Chapman | English | 3,931 | #236 |
| 189 | Dixon | Italian | 3,925 | #167 |
| 190 | Armstrong | Unknown | 3,914 | #213 |
| 191 | Riley | English | 3,897 | #217 |
| 192 | Wheeler | English | 3,886 | #243 |
| 193 | Bradley | English | 3,859 | #208 |
| 194 | Andrews | Unknown | 3,855 | #218 |
| 195 | Berry | Unknown | 3,795 | #222 |
| 196 | Ramos | Spanish/Portuguese | 3,779 | #76 |
| 197 | Weber | English | 3,764 | #283 |
| 198 | Hanson | English | 3,756 | #276 |
| 199 | Hudson | English | 3,736 | #214 |
| 200 | Bishop | Unknown | 3,725 | #262 |
Trace your New York roots with DNA
See your ethnic origins & connect with relatives. The #1 ancestry DNA kit.
Shop AncestryDNA →Your family's Heritage Report
Origin, meaning, migration story & coat of arms — $19.90 $9.90 today.
How We Estimate State Surnames
The US Census Bureau publishes national surname frequency data along with ethnic/racial distribution percentages for each surname. We combine this with New York's demographic composition from the 2020 Census to estimate which surnames are most common in the state.
This approach, known as Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding (BISG), is widely used in academic research and government applications. While individual estimates may vary, the overall rankings provide a reliable picture of surname prevalence in New York.
Data sources: US Census Bureau Decennial Census 2010 (surnames) and 2020 (state demographics).