Most Common Last Names in Oklahoma

Top 3 — Oklahoma

#2 welsh

Jones

Patronymic

28,605 people

1 in every 146 Oklahoma residents

A Welsh and English patronymic meaning son of John, built from the Welsh form 'Ioan'. In Oklahoma it was carried west by families in Indian Territory and reinforced again when settlers from Arkansas, Texas, and Kansas entered the new towns opened after 1889.

#1 english

Johnson

Patronymic

31,797 people

1 in every 131 Oklahoma residents

From medieval English, meaning son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', God is gracious. In Oklahoma, Johnson appears throughout Dawes Rolls records for citizens and Freedmen of the Five Tribes between 1898 and 1914, which helps explain why it ranks first statewide.

#3 english

Williams

Patronymic

28,577 people

1 in every 146 Oklahoma residents

From William, ultimately the Germanic 'Willahelm', will plus helmet. Williams spread through both tribal and nontribal communities in Oklahoma, and it was strengthened further by Freedmen families and the all-Black towns founded after the Civil War.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Indian Territory Names and the Land Runs

During the 1830s and 1840s, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole nations were forced into present-day Oklahoma, bringing many already established family names into Indian Territory. Dawes-era enrollment and allotment records preserved surnames such as Johnson, Jones, Williams, Brown, and Davis across eastern Oklahoma, while Freedmen communities and later all-Black towns strengthened many of the same names after the Civil War. Then the 1889 opening of the Unassigned Lands and the 1893 Cherokee Outlet run pulled in Southern cotton farmers, Midwestern wheat growers, and railroad towns, layering Miller, Taylor, Baker, and Hill onto an already mixed surname map.

Did you know? Johnson appears repeatedly in the Oklahoma Historical Society's Dawes Rolls database from 1898 to 1914, showing how a surname common in the South also became deeply rooted in Indian Territory before Oklahoma reached statehood in 1907.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Oklahoma

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Johnson english

31,797

1 in 131

Jones welsh

28,605

1 in 146

Williams english

28,577

1 in 146

Brown english

28,277

1 in 147

From Old English 'brun', describing brown hair, clothing, or complexion. Brown appears on both Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory records, which gave the name a broad east-west spread before and after statehood.

Davis welsh

24,452

1 in 170

A patronymic from David, from Hebrew 'Dawid', beloved. In Oklahoma the name fits both older Indian Territory communities and the southern settlement stream that made the southeast, or Little Dixie, one of the state's most distinct cultural regions.

Miller english

19,379

1 in 215

An occupational surname for a grain miller, from Middle English 'miller'. It rose strongly in Oklahoma's farm belt as wheat counties in the north and west filled after the Cherokee Outlet opening of September 16, 1893.

Wilson english

18,555

1 in 225

Meaning son of Will, a short form of William. Wilson belongs to the same broad surname layer that appears in Dawes records in the east and in land-run and railroad communities across central Oklahoma.

Taylor english

15,481

1 in 269

From Old French 'tailleur', a cloth cutter or tailor. In Oklahoma the name spread with merchants, railroad workers, and settlers who moved into county-seat towns after the 1889 and 1893 openings.

Thompson english

15,198

1 in 274

Meaning son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson followed the southern and Ozark migration routes into eastern Oklahoma and later settled into the mixed farming towns that linked the Arkansas line to Muskogee and Tulsa.

#10

Martin french

14,423

1 in 289

From Latin 'Martinus', of Mars, carried widely through French and English naming traditions. Oklahoma's long French trading history around Three Forks gave Martin an early foothold before later American settlement spread it statewide.

#11

Jackson english

14,057

1 in 296

Meaning son of Jack, a medieval form of John. Jackson became deeply rooted in Oklahoma through both southern migration and African American communities that grew in Indian Territory and in the land openings era.

#12

Anderson scottish

13,391

1 in 311

Meaning son of Andrew or Anders, from Greek 'Andreas'. In Oklahoma it reflects the northern British naming stream that arrived with Midwestern settlers while also appearing in long-settled eastern communities before 1907.

#13

White english

13,106

1 in 318

From Old English 'hwit', often describing light hair or a fair complexion. White was already common in both Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory records, which helps explain its durable statewide rank.

#14

Thomas welsh

12,688

1 in 328

From Aramaic 'Toma', meaning twin. Thomas moved into Oklahoma through Welsh and English family lines and remained durable because it fit both tribal-era records in the east and later settlement in the center of the state.

#15

Harris english

12,638

1 in 330

Meaning son of Harry, a medieval form of Henry. In Oklahoma it traveled with southern families into the Red River counties and then spread north as Oklahoma City and other rail-linked towns expanded.

#16

Walker english

11,668

1 in 357

Originally an occupational name for a cloth fuller, from Middle English 'walkere'. Walker appears in both tribal enrollment-era records and the later stream of Anglo settlers who filled central and western Oklahoma after the land runs.

#17

Clark english

11,278

1 in 370

From Old English 'clerc', a clerk or literate official. The name fit frontier forts, agencies, county-seat towns, and railroad offices, so it spread easily during Oklahoma's territorial years.

#18

Hill english

10,981

1 in 380

A topographic surname for someone who lived on or near a hill. It settled into Oklahoma's eastern uplands and southern farm country, where many residents came from the same hill-country South and border-state migration routes.

#19

Allen english

10,510

1 in 397

Usually derived from the personal name Alan or Allen, which entered English from Breton and Norman use. In Oklahoma the name crosses many communities, appearing in older Indian Territory family lines as well as in statehood-era towns.

#20

Baker english

10,435

1 in 399

An occupational surname for a baker, from Old English 'baecere'. Baker spread with courthouse towns, wheat settlements, and commercial main streets that grew quickly after the Cherokee Outlet opening and before statehood.

Local Insight

Uniquely Oklahoma

These family names rank far higher in Oklahoma than nationally — a direct fingerprint of the state's specific immigration waves.

Harjo muscogee