North Carolina Demographics
North Carolina has a population of 10,439,388 (2020 Census). The demographic composition helps explain which surnames are most prevalent in the state.
White 60.5%
Hispanic 10.7%
Black 22.2%
Asian/Pacific 3.3%
Native American 1.2%
Two+ Races 2.1%
Top 200 Most Common Surnames in North Carolina
These surnames are estimated to be the most common in North Carolina based on national surname frequency data weighted by NC's demographic composition (BISG method).
| # | Surname | Origin | Est. Frequency | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith | English | 41,806 | #1 |
| 2 | Johnson | English | 29,892 | #2 |
| 3 | Williams | Welsh/English | 22,210 | #3 |
| 4 | Brown | English | 22,027 | #4 |
| 5 | Miller | English | 22,019 | #7 |
| 6 | Jones | Welsh/English | 21,318 | #5 |
| 7 | Davis | Welsh/English | 17,772 | #8 |
| 8 | Anderson | English/Scandinavian | 13,884 | #15 |
| 9 | Wilson | English | 13,305 | #14 |
| 10 | Martin | English/French | 12,291 | #20 |
| 11 | Taylor | English | 12,284 | #17 |
| 12 | Moore | English/Irish | 11,961 | #18 |
| 13 | Thompson | English | 11,243 | #23 |
| 14 | Thomas | Welsh/English | 10,935 | #16 |
| 15 | White | English | 10,804 | #24 |
| 16 | Clark | English | 9,904 | #27 |
| 17 | Jackson | English | 9,088 | #19 |
| 18 | Harris | English/Welsh | 9,020 | #25 |
| 19 | Lewis | Welsh/English | 8,154 | #29 |
| 20 | Walker | English | 8,073 | #31 |
| 21 | Allen | English/Celtic | 8,035 | #33 |
| 22 | Young | English | 7,887 | #32 |
| 23 | King | English | 7,885 | #34 |
| 24 | Baker | English | 7,694 | #44 |
| 25 | Nelson | English/Scandinavian | 7,651 | #43 |
| 26 | Wright | English | 7,537 | #35 |
| 27 | Adams | English | 7,502 | #42 |
| 28 | Robinson | English | 7,461 | #30 |
| 29 | Hall | English | 7,068 | #45 |
| 30 | Hill | English | 7,040 | #39 |
| 31 | Scott | English/Scottish | 6,859 | #36 |
| 32 | Roberts | Welsh/English | 6,772 | #50 |
| 33 | Campbell | Scottish | 6,757 | #47 |
| 34 | Lee | English/Chinese/Korean | 6,631 | #21 |
| 35 | Green | English | 6,538 | #41 |
| 36 | Phillips | English/Welsh | 6,451 | #52 |
| 37 | Mitchell | English | 6,051 | #48 |
| 38 | Evans | Welsh | 5,966 | #53 |
| 39 | Murphy | Irish | 5,802 | #64 |
| 40 | Carter | English | 5,795 | #49 |
| 41 | Collins | Irish/English | 5,676 | #59 |
| 42 | Parker | English | 5,672 | #56 |
| 43 | Turner | English | 5,659 | #54 |
| 44 | Cook | English | 5,630 | #65 |
| 45 | Morris | Welsh/English | 5,566 | #62 |
| 46 | Stewart | Scottish/English | 5,486 | #61 |
| 47 | Garcia | Spanish | 5,472 | #6 |
| 48 | Rogers | English | 5,357 | #66 |
| 49 | Edwards | English | 5,288 | #58 |
| 50 | Peterson | English/Scandinavian | 5,280 | #71 |
| 51 | Morgan | Welsh | 5,089 | #69 |
| 52 | Rodriguez | Spanish | 5,057 | #9 |
| 53 | Martinez | Spanish | 4,980 | #10 |
| 54 | Wood | English | 4,901 | #84 |
| 55 | Cox | English | 4,897 | #78 |
| 56 | Kelly | Irish | 4,845 | #74 |
| 57 | Bailey | English | 4,821 | #72 |
| 58 | Reed | English | 4,752 | #73 |
| 59 | Cooper | English | 4,693 | #70 |
| 60 | Hernandez | Spanish | 4,634 | #11 |
| 61 | Ward | English | 4,624 | #79 |
| 62 | Bennett | English | 4,429 | #86 |
| 63 | Myers | English | 4,373 | #96 |
| 64 | Sullivan | European | 4,299 | #105 |
| 65 | Hughes | Welsh/English | 4,292 | #90 |
| 66 | Howard | English | 4,291 | #75 |
| 67 | Long | English | 4,171 | #97 |
| 68 | Watson | English | 4,154 | #81 |
| 69 | Gray | English/Scottish | 4,134 | #87 |
| 70 | Price | Welsh | 4,128 | #91 |
| 71 | Richardson | English | 4,040 | #80 |
| 72 | Lopez | Spanish | 4,039 | #12 |
| 73 | Fisher | English | 4,020 | #112 |
| 74 | Russell | Unknown | 3,972 | #104 |
| 75 | Brooks | English | 3,937 | #82 |
| 76 | Ross | Scottish | 3,857 | #98 |
| 77 | Foster | English | 3,853 | #99 |
| 78 | Gonzalez | Spanish | 3,778 | #13 |
| 79 | Powell | English | 3,739 | #101 |
| 80 | Perry | Unknown | 3,711 | #103 |
| 81 | Reynolds | Unknown | 3,707 | #121 |
| 82 | Sanders | English | 3,623 | #94 |
| 83 | James | English | 3,555 | #85 |
| 84 | Barnes | Spanish/Portuguese | 3,555 | #110 |
| 85 | Butler | English | 3,489 | #108 |
| 86 | Bell | Unknown | 3,473 | #106 |
| 87 | West | Unknown | 3,472 | #125 |
| 88 | Cole | Unknown | 3,462 | #126 |
| 89 | Stevens | Unknown | 3,434 | #135 |
| 90 | Hamilton | English | 3,432 | #119 |
| 91 | Jenkins | Unknown | 3,419 | #102 |
| 92 | Graham | English | 3,419 | #120 |
| 93 | Patterson | English | 3,415 | #117 |
| 94 | Henderson | English | 3,398 | #109 |
| 95 | Olson | English | 3,349 | #157 |
| 96 | Wallace | Unknown | 3,331 | #123 |
| 97 | Gibson | English | 3,293 | #130 |
| 98 | Hayes | Spanish/Portuguese | 3,284 | #127 |
| 99 | Jordan | Unknown | 3,282 | #116 |
| 100 | Kennedy | Unknown | 3,270 | #146 |
| 101 | Murray | Unknown | 3,269 | #136 |
| 102 | Snyder | English | 3,261 | #165 |
| 103 | Mcdonald | Irish/Scottish | 3,230 | #143 |
| 104 | Simmons | Unknown | 3,226 | #114 |
| 105 | Ellis | Unknown | 3,219 | #131 |
| 106 | Griffin | Unknown | 3,210 | #122 |
| 107 | Perez | Spanish | 3,158 | #22 |
| 108 | Wagner | English | 3,133 | #173 |
| 109 | Alexander | English | 3,128 | #118 |
| 110 | Coleman | English | 3,111 | #107 |
| 111 | Wells | Unknown | 3,089 | #147 |
| 112 | Meyer | English | 3,086 | #183 |
| 113 | Burns | Unknown | 3,054 | #155 |
| 114 | Harrison | English | 3,033 | #141 |
| 115 | Marshall | Unknown | 3,020 | #139 |
| 116 | Schmidt | German | 3,015 | #185 |
| 117 | Owens | Unknown | 3,003 | #140 |
| 118 | Webb | Unknown | 3,002 | #152 |
| 119 | Bryant | Unknown | 2,973 | #128 |
| 120 | Fox | European | 2,962 | #180 |
| 121 | Ford | English | 2,941 | #137 |
| 122 | Stone | Italian | 2,937 | #178 |
| 123 | Ryan | European | 2,866 | #193 |
| 124 | Rose | Unknown | 2,856 | #177 |
| 125 | Tucker | English | 2,847 | #153 |
| 126 | Sanchez | Spanish | 2,841 | #26 |
| 127 | Hansen | Scandinavian | 2,805 | #204 |
| 128 | Simpson | English | 2,788 | #158 |
| 129 | Freeman | English | 2,768 | #151 |
| 130 | Palmer | English | 2,766 | #172 |
| 131 | Crawford | English | 2,763 | #156 |
| 132 | Shaw | Unknown | 2,762 | #164 |
| 133 | Porter | English | 2,738 | #159 |
| 134 | Mills | Unknown | 2,738 | #182 |
| 135 | Woods | Unknown | 2,727 | #144 |
| 136 | Hunt | Unknown | 2,727 | #169 |
| 137 | Weaver | English | 2,727 | #192 |
| 138 | Black | Unknown | 2,721 | #174 |
| 139 | Nichols | Unknown | 2,721 | #189 |
| 140 | Rice | Unknown | 2,698 | #184 |
| 141 | Mason | English | 2,695 | #166 |
| 142 | Henry | Unknown | 2,685 | #149 |
| 143 | Robertson | English | 2,682 | #175 |
| 144 | Hoffman | English | 2,673 | #224 |
| 145 | Kelley | English | 2,658 | #198 |
| 146 | Hicks | Unknown | 2,634 | #170 |
| 147 | Gordon | Unknown | 2,619 | #161 |
| 148 | Johnston | English | 2,618 | #225 |
| 149 | Dunn | French | 2,600 | #197 |
| 150 | Warren | Unknown | 2,586 | #181 |
| 151 | Ferguson | English | 2,584 | #188 |
| 152 | Arnold | Unknown | 2,578 | #201 |
| 153 | Peters | Unknown | 2,569 | #205 |
| 154 | Pierce | Unknown | 2,560 | #202 |
| 155 | Hunter | English | 2,550 | #160 |
| 156 | Stephens | Unknown | 2,537 | #190 |
| 157 | Hart | Unknown | 2,529 | #207 |
| 158 | Gardner | English | 2,528 | #194 |
| 159 | Elliott | Unknown | 2,525 | #210 |
| 160 | Carroll | Unknown | 2,521 | #215 |
| 161 | Larson | English | 2,504 | #247 |
| 162 | Carpenter | English | 2,498 | #231 |
| 163 | Ramirez | Spanish | 2,479 | #28 |
| 164 | Boyd | Unknown | 2,464 | #176 |
| 165 | Carlson | English | 2,464 | #252 |
| 166 | Payne | Unknown | 2,454 | #195 |
| 167 | Duncan | French | 2,411 | #212 |
| 168 | Lane | French/Spanish | 2,410 | #216 |
| 169 | Obrien | European | 2,407 | #258 |
| 170 | Holmes | Spanish/Portuguese | 2,383 | #171 |
| 171 | Cunningham | English | 2,368 | #211 |
| 172 | Richards | Unknown | 2,368 | #228 |
| 173 | Knight | Unknown | 2,365 | #209 |
| 174 | Dixon | Italian | 2,363 | #167 |
| 175 | Burke | European | 2,359 | #246 |
| 176 | Spencer | English | 2,353 | #199 |
| 177 | Jensen | Scandinavian | 2,345 | #265 |
| 178 | Chapman | English | 2,340 | #236 |
| 179 | Ray | Unknown | 2,339 | #220 |
| 180 | Armstrong | Unknown | 2,334 | #213 |
| 181 | Riley | English | 2,325 | #217 |
| 182 | Wheeler | English | 2,312 | #243 |
| 183 | Bradley | English | 2,308 | #208 |
| 184 | Andrews | Unknown | 2,300 | #218 |
| 185 | Berry | Unknown | 2,266 | #222 |
| 186 | Hudson | English | 2,237 | #214 |
| 187 | Weber | English | 2,231 | #283 |
| 188 | Hanson | English | 2,228 | #276 |
| 189 | Perkins | Unknown | 2,223 | #223 |
| 190 | Bishop | Unknown | 2,214 | #262 |
| 191 | Morrison | English | 2,207 | #250 |
| 192 | Hawkins | Unknown | 2,204 | #200 |
| 193 | Lynch | Unknown | 2,196 | #259 |
| 194 | Lawrence | French/Spanish | 2,179 | #232 |
| 195 | Daniels | Unknown | 2,178 | #187 |
| 196 | Walsh | European | 2,145 | #295 |
| 197 | Schultz | European | 2,145 | #297 |
| 198 | Grant | Unknown | 2,129 | #196 |
| 199 | Matthews | Unknown | 2,113 | #226 |
| 200 | Greene | English/Jewish | 2,104 | #241 |
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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 North Carolina'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 North Carolina.
Data sources: US Census Bureau Decennial Census 2010 (surnames) and 2020 (state demographics).
Browse Surnames by State
Alabama
Pop. 5,024,279
Alaska
Pop. 733,391
Arizona
Pop. 7,151,502
Arkansas
Pop. 3,011,524
California
Pop. 39,538,223
Colorado
Pop. 5,773,714
Connecticut
Pop. 3,605,944
Delaware
Pop. 989,948
District of Columbia
Pop. 689,545
Florida
Pop. 21,538,187
Georgia
Pop. 10,711,908
Hawaii
Pop. 1,455,271
Idaho
Pop. 1,839,106
Illinois
Pop. 12,812,508
Indiana
Pop. 6,785,528
Iowa
Pop. 3,190,369
Kansas
Pop. 2,937,880
Kentucky
Pop. 4,505,836
Louisiana
Pop. 4,657,757
Maine
Pop. 1,362,359
Maryland
Pop. 6,177,224
Massachusetts
Pop. 7,029,917
Michigan
Pop. 10,077,331
Minnesota
Pop. 5,706,494
Mississippi
Pop. 2,961,279
Missouri
Pop. 6,154,913
Montana
Pop. 1,084,225
Nebraska
Pop. 1,961,504
Nevada
Pop. 3,104,614
New Hampshire
Pop. 1,377,529
New Jersey
Pop. 9,288,994
New Mexico
Pop. 2,117,522
New York
Pop. 20,201,249
North Dakota
Pop. 779,094
Ohio
Pop. 11,799,448
Oklahoma
Pop. 3,959,353
Oregon
Pop. 4,237,256
Pennsylvania
Pop. 13,002,700
Rhode Island
Pop. 1,097,379
South Carolina
Pop. 5,118,425
South Dakota
Pop. 886,667
Tennessee
Pop. 6,910,840
Texas
Pop. 29,145,505
Utah
Pop. 3,271,616
Vermont
Pop. 643,077
Virginia
Pop. 8,631,393
Washington
Pop. 7,614,893
West Virginia
Pop. 1,793,716
Wisconsin
Pop. 5,893,718
Wyoming
Pop. 576,851