Most Common Last Names in Vermont

Top 3 — Vermont

#2 english

Johnson

Patronymic

2,482 people

1 in every 256 Vermont residents

Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', meaning God is gracious. Johnson is common across the United States, but in Vermont it sits inside an older Yankee pattern of plain English patronymics carried through farm towns and church records.

#1 english

Brown

Descriptive

2,905 people

1 in every 219 Vermont residents

From Old English 'brun', referring to brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown leads Vermont, a clue that the state's top surnames lean toward old New England English names rather than the national order led by Smith.

#3 welsh

Davis

Patronymic

2,140 people

1 in every 297 Vermont residents

Son of David, from Hebrew 'Dawid', meaning beloved. Davis fits Vermont's colonial New England layer, where English and Welsh surnames moved north with settlers from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Yankee Farm Towns and French-Canadian Mill Families

Vermont's English surname layer grew out of eighteenth-century settlement from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, especially after Benning Wentworth began issuing New Hampshire Grants in 1749. Vermont became the 14th state in 1791, but its name pattern had already been set by small towns, hill farms, church records, and families who moved along the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain corridors. A later French-Canadian layer arrived through Quebec migration and industrial work in places such as Winooski, Burlington, St. Albans, and Barre, which helps explain why names like Bushey, Roy, Benoit, Paquette, Bessette, Cote, Tatro, and Cota rank so visibly.

Did you know? Bushey ranks 44th in Vermont but 6,514th nationally, making it one of the clearest signals of Vermont's French-Canadian surname layer within the state's top 50.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Vermont

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Brown english

2,905

1 in 219

Johnson english

2,482

1 in 256

Davis welsh

2,140

1 in 297

Clark english

2,119

1 in 300

From Latin 'clericus', a clerk, scholar, or churchman. Clark ranks unusually high in Vermont because early New England towns produced dense church, probate, land, and town-meeting records where literate officeholding families remained highly visible.

Martin french

2,069

1 in 307

From Latin 'Martinus', meaning of Mars. Martin works as a bridge surname in Vermont: it belongs to both English-speaking New England families and French-Canadian families connected to Quebec and northern New England mill towns.

Williams welsh

1,839

1 in 346

Son of William, from the Norman name 'Willahelm', meaning will and helmet. Williams is nationally common, but in Vermont it ranks below Brown, Johnson, Davis, Clark, and Martin, showing how strongly regional New England names shape the state list.

Miller english

1,746

1 in 364

A grain miller, from Middle English 'miller'. Vermont's streams powered sawmills, gristmills, and small factories, so Miller fits both the older farm economy and the early industrial villages that grew around waterpower.

White english

1,582

1 in 402

From Old English 'hwit', usually a nickname for fair hair, pale complexion, or light clothing. White belongs to the same English descriptive surname layer as Brown, a pairing that is especially prominent in northern New England.

Jones welsh

1,547

1 in 411

Son of John, through Welsh 'Ioan'. Jones is one of the most common Welsh surnames in America, but Vermont's ranking places it behind several older New England favorites rather than near the very top.

#10

Allen english

1,493

1 in 426

From the given name Alan, probably Celtic in origin and often explained as little rock or handsome. In Vermont, Allen also echoes the revolutionary-era Green Mountain Boys through Ethan and Ira Allen, whose family name became inseparable from the state's founding story.

#11

Wright english

1,364

1 in 466

From Old English 'wyrhta', a craftsman or maker, especially one who worked with wood. Wright suits Vermont's small-town economy of barns, wagons, mills, and local trades before large-scale industry reached the state.

#12

Thompson english

1,336

1 in 476

Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson reflects the broad English and Scots-Irish patronymic pattern that moved into Vermont with settlers from southern New England and New Hampshire.

#13

Young english

1,327

1 in 479

From Old English 'geong', used to distinguish a younger man from an older relative with the same given name. Young is common in old New England records because repeated biblical and English first names often needed this kind of family distinction.

#14

Anderson scottish

1,285

1 in 495

Son of Andrew, from Greek 'Andreas', meaning manly. Anderson entered Vermont through the wider northern New England stream of English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish family names.

#15

Baker english

1,252

1 in 508

A baker of bread, from Middle English 'bakere'. Baker is one of the plain occupational surnames that remained strong in Vermont because small towns preserved older English naming patterns across many generations.

#16

King english

1,218

1 in 522

From Old English 'cyning', originally a nickname for someone connected with a royal household, pageant, or commanding manner. In Vermont it reads less as aristocratic language than as another durable English surname carried through rural New England.

#17

Hall english

1,172

1 in 542

For someone who lived or worked at a hall or manor house. Hall is widespread across New England and fits Vermont's early pattern of town-centered settlement, where meetinghouses, farms, and local offices anchored family names.

#18

Adams english

1,167

1 in 545

Son of Adam, from the Hebrew name meaning man or earth. Adams carries deep New England associations, and its high Vermont rank reflects the state's continuity with Massachusetts and Connecticut family networks.

#19

Wood english

1,112

1 in 572

For someone who lived near or in a wood. Wood is especially at home in Vermont, where forested hill farms, timber lots, and small sawmill settlements shaped daily life from the eighteenth century forward.

#20

Parker english

1,096

1 in 580

A keeper of a park or enclosed hunting ground, from Old French and Middle English usage. Parker's place in Vermont's top 20 shows how medieval English occupational names survived far from their original social setting.

Local Insight

Uniquely Vermont

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

Bushey french

Ranked #44 in Vermont versus #6514 nationally. That is 6470 spots higher here.

Bushey is strongly overrepresented in Vermont, where it ranks 44th compared with 6,514th nationally. The name reflects the French-Canadian surname layer that entered the state through Quebec migration, Catholic parish networks, and mill work in northern Vermont.

Paquette french

Ranked #83 in Vermont versus #3437 nationally. That is 3354 spots higher here.

Paquette ranks 83rd in Vermont but 3,437th nationally, a sharp regional concentration for a French surname. Its visibility points to the same Quebec-to-Vermont movement that made French-language family names common in border communities and factory towns.

Bessette french

Ranked #99 in Vermont versus #7195 nationally. That is 7096 spots higher here.

Bessette ranks 99th in Vermont and far lower nationally, making it one of the state's most distinctive top-100 surnames. The name is tied to French-Canadian family networks that moved south from Quebec during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Tatro french

Ranked #131 in Vermont versus #6914 nationally. That is 6783 spots higher here.

Tatro ranks 131st in Vermont but 6,914th nationally. It is a localized French-Canadian surname in Vermont's data, preserved by families whose migration routes crossed the U.S.-Canada border rather than the Atlantic.

Cota french

Ranked #134 in Vermont versus #4070 nationally. That is 3936 spots higher here.

Cota ranks 134th in Vermont and 4,070th nationally, closely related in pattern to Cote and other French-Canadian surnames. Its state concentration helps distinguish Vermont from southern New England states where Irish, Italian, and Polish names dominate more strongly.

Etymology

Vermont Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Five of Vermont's top 20 surnames are occupational: Clark, Miller, Wright, Baker, and Parker. Their survival near the top fits a state where small towns, farms, mills, and local trades carried older English names forward without being overwhelmed by one later immigrant wave.

Clark (clerk or scholar) Miller (grain miller) Wright (craftsman) Baker (bread maker)

Patronymic Names

Patronymics account for much of Vermont's top 20, including Johnson, Davis, Williams, Jones, Thompson, Anderson, and Adams. These names came through English, Welsh, Scottish, and Scots-Irish naming traditions that entered Vermont during the colonial and early statehood periods.

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

Descriptive and Place Names

Brown, White, Young, King, Hall, and Wood show how nicknames and place-based surnames remained important in Vermont. Wood is especially telling for a state whose settlement history was built around cleared farms, forest lots, water-powered mills, and small villages.

Brown (brown hair or complexion) White (fair hair or complexion) Hall (lived or worked at a hall) Wood (near a wood)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in Vermont?

The most common last names in Vermont are Brown, Johnson, Davis, Clark, and Martin. Brown ranks first in the 2026 surname data, with 2,905 bearers statewide.

Why is Brown the most common last name in Vermont?

Brown is the most common last name in Vermont because the state's surname pattern is heavily shaped by older English New England families. Unlike many states where Smith leads, Vermont's top tier preserves a colonial Yankee pattern in which Brown, Clark, Davis, White, Allen, Hall, Adams, Wood, and Parker all rank strongly.

Sources

Forebears: Most Common Surnames in Vermont — State-level surname incidence, frequency, and national-rank data used for Vermont's top surnames and distinctive surname comparisons
U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts Vermont — Official state population context for Vermont
Vermont Historical Society: French-Canadian Immigration to Vermont — Historical context for French-Canadian migration, northern Vermont communities, and the state's French surname layer

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Brown
People named #1: 2,905
1 in every: 219 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 643,077
Census year: 2026

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 Vermont

Yankee Farm Towns and French-Canadian Mill Families

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Vermont

Uniquely Vermont