Most Common Last Names in Tennessee

Top 3 — Tennessee

#2 welsh

Jones

Patronymic

60,958 people

1 in every 115 Tennessee residents

Son of John, from the Welsh form of the biblical name. Jones ranks higher in Tennessee than it does nationally, a sign of the Welsh and border-country families who moved from Virginia and North Carolina into East Tennessee and the Cumberland settlements.

#1 english

Smith

Occupational

92,205 people

1 in every 76 Tennessee residents

From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith reached Tennessee with early English and Scots-Irish families moving through the Appalachian backcountry, then spread across all three grand divisions because it was already common before statehood in 1796.

#3 english

Johnson

Patronymic

60,902 people

1 in every 116 Tennessee residents

Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan' (God is gracious). Johnson belongs to both sides of Tennessee's history: it came west with frontier settlers and became a common surname among African American families after emancipation.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Appalachian Roads, Cumberland Farms, and West Tennessee Cotton

Tennessee's surname map follows the state's three grand divisions. East Tennessee was settled early through the Great Valley and Cumberland Gap routes by families from Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, which helps explain the weight of Smith, Jones, Moore, Wilson, and Hall. Middle Tennessee grew around the Cumberland settlements after the late 1770s, while West Tennessee's plantation counties and Memphis added larger Black communities, making Williams, Brown, Jackson, Harris, and King more prominent than a purely Appalachian list would suggest.

Did you know? Jones ranks second in Tennessee, ahead of Johnson and Williams, even though it is fifth nationally; that small shift is a clue to the state's strong Welsh and upland British naming layer.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Tennessee

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Smith english

92,205

1 in 76

Jones welsh

60,958

1 in 115

Johnson english

60,902

1 in 116

Williams english

54,691

1 in 129

Son of William, from the Norman name 'Willahelm', meaning will and helm. Williams is common across Tennessee, but it is especially tied to communities where formerly enslaved people established legal family names after the Civil War.

Brown english

50,098

1 in 141

From Old English 'brún', meaning brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown spread through Tennessee by two routes, with British-origin settler families in the uplands and African American families in Middle and West Tennessee cotton counties.

Davis welsh

46,904

1 in 150

Son of David, from Hebrew 'Dawid', meaning beloved. Davis was already a common Welsh and English border surname before Tennessee statehood, and its high rank fits the state's heavy settlement from Virginia, North Carolina, and the upper South.

Taylor english

33,285

1 in 212

From Old French 'tailleur', a cutter of cloth. Taylor belongs to the medieval trade-name layer that frontier families brought into Tennessee, where craft surnames survived even in rural farming communities.

Moore english

31,783

1 in 222

From Old English 'mōr', someone who lived near open, uncultivated ground. Moore fits Tennessee's upland pattern because the name was common among English, Scots-Irish, and sometimes Irish families moving along the Appalachian corridor.

Miller english

31,119

1 in 226

A person who operated a grain mill. In Tennessee, Miller reflects the practical economy of creek-powered mills, which became anchor points for early farming settlements before towns and railroads reshaped the landscape.

#10

Wilson english

29,996

1 in 235

Son of Will, a short form of William. Wilson came into Tennessee with English and Scots-Irish families from the older backcountry and remains especially at home in the state's upland naming tradition.

#11

Harris english

26,541

1 in 265

Son of Harry, a medieval form of Henry. Harris is common in both white and Black Tennessee families, linking old British patronymics with the post-emancipation naming patterns of the state's central and western counties.

#12

White english

25,060

1 in 281

From Old English 'hwīt', often describing pale hair or complexion. White spread through Tennessee as a broad English surname rather than a single family line, which is why it appears across rural counties, towns, and cities alike.

#13

Jackson english

25,029

1 in 281

Son of Jack, a medieval nickname for John. Jackson has special resonance in Tennessee because Andrew Jackson built his political career at the Hermitage near Nashville, while the surname also became common among African American families after emancipation.

#14

Martin latin

24,505

1 in 287

From Latin 'Martinus', meaning of Mars. Martin entered Tennessee through several streams, including English, Scots-Irish, French Huguenot, and Irish Catholic families, which helps the name rank high without belonging to one region alone.

#15

Anderson scottish

24,297

1 in 290

Son of Andrew, from Greek 'Andreas'. Anderson is a classic Scots and northern English patronymic, well matched to Tennessee's migration from Ulster-influenced communities in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas.

#16

Thomas welsh

22,124

1 in 318

From Aramaic 'Toma', meaning twin. Thomas was common among Welsh and English families before Tennessee's rapid early growth, and it also became a familiar surname in African American communities after slavery ended.

#17

Thompson english

21,869

1 in 322

Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson reflects the same British patronymic pattern that fills Tennessee's top 20, especially the names carried by families who moved through the Great Valley into the southern Appalachians.

#18

Clark english

20,893

1 in 337

From Old English 'clerc', a clerk, scholar, or churchman. Clark's rank shows how medieval status and office names traveled west with ordinary farming families, long after the original occupation had faded.

#19

King english

20,884

1 in 337

From Old English 'cyning', originally a nickname for someone connected with a royal household or pageant role. King is common in Tennessee's Black and white communities, and its rise after 1865 gave the old nickname a new association with dignity and self-definition.

#20

Hall english

20,650

1 in 341

A person who lived or worked at a hall, manor house, or large residence. Hall is stronger in Tennessee than in the national ranking, fitting a state where old English place and household names survived in mountain and valley communities.

Local Insight

Uniquely Tennessee

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

Hensley english

Ranked #111 in Tennessee versus #664 nationally. That is 553 spots higher here.

Hensley is far more visible in Tennessee than nationally, with the state holding more than one-tenth of the U.S. total in the Forebears ranking. The name fits the Appalachian surname belt that runs through East Tennessee and neighboring mountain counties.

Shelton english

Ranked #79 in Tennessee versus #312 nationally. That is 233 spots higher here.

Shelton ranks in Tennessee's top 80 while sitting much lower nationally, a pattern typical of old upper-South families that multiplied through rural county networks. Its English origin points to a settlement name, usually a shelf or ledge near a farmstead.

Holt english

Ranked #84 in Tennessee versus #323 nationally. That is 239 spots higher here.

Holt is a compact old English place-name meaning a small wood or grove, and Tennessee carries a noticeably high share of it. Its strength matches the state's older rural settlement zones, where landform surnames often stayed local for generations.

Lawson english

Ranked #74 in Tennessee versus #245 nationally. That is 171 spots higher here.

Lawson ranks much higher in Tennessee than in the country as a whole. The name means son of Lawrence, and its Tennessee concentration reflects the same upland British naming stream that lifted Jones, Moore, Wilson, and Hall.

Webb english

Ranked #48 in Tennessee versus #137 nationally. That is 89 spots higher here.

Webb is an occupational surname for a weaver, and it is unusually common in Tennessee compared with its national rank. Its high placement preserves a medieval craft name inside a state better known for farm, frontier, and Appalachian family lines.

Etymology

Tennessee Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Four of Tennessee's top 20 are occupational names: Smith, Taylor, Miller, and Clark. Their survival in the ranking shows how medieval trades became hereditary surnames long before the families carrying them reached the Appalachian frontier.

Smith (metalworker) Taylor (tailor) Miller (grain mill operator) Clark (clerk or scholar)

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate Tennessee's top 20, including Jones, Johnson, Williams, Davis, Wilson, Harris, Jackson, Anderson, Thomas, and Thompson. The pattern reflects British and Welsh naming customs carried west by settlers from Virginia and North Carolina, then reinforced as newly free Black Tennesseans formalized family names after 1865.

Jones (son of John) Williams (son of William) Davis (son of David) Anderson (son of Andrew)

Habitational Names

Moore and Hall are the top 20's clearest habitational surnames, both rooted in the places where medieval families lived or worked. Tennessee's more distinctive names, including Shelton and Holt, show the same place-name habit in a more regional form.

Moore (near a moor) Hall (near or at a hall) Shelton (shelf settlement) Holt (small wood)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in Tennessee?

The most common last names in Tennessee are Smith, Jones, Johnson, Williams, and Brown. Smith ranks first statewide, while Jones ranks second, higher than its national position.

Why is Jones so common in Tennessee?

Jones is especially common in Tennessee because Welsh and British border-country surnames moved into the state through the Appalachian backcountry and the Cumberland settlements. That migration pattern helps Jones outrank Johnson and Williams in Tennessee.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in Tennessee — State surname ranking, incidence counts, frequency ratios, and national-rank comparisons
U.S. Census Bureau - 2010 Census Population of Tennessee — 2010 statewide population baseline used for the page metadata
Tennessee Encyclopedia - Settlement — Historical context for East Tennessee, Cumberland, and westward settlement patterns

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Smith
People named #1: 92,205
1 in every: 76 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 6,346,105
Census year: 2010

Explore More

Data

State Rankings

Compare all 50 states by population, land area, statehood date, and more.

View Rankings

Curated

Collections

Themed lists - states sharing the same bird, oldest symbols, flags with bears, and more.

Browse Collections

Compare

Compare States

Side-by-side comparison of population, area, income, taxes, climate, and more.

Compare Now

Genealogy

Last Names by State

Top 20 most common surnames per state - with origins, meanings, and heritage context. Is yours on the list?

Explore Last Names

Most Common Last Names in Tennessee

Appalachian Roads, Cumberland Farms, and West Tennessee Cotton

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Tennessee

Uniquely Tennessee