Most Common Last Names in Washington

Top 3 — Washington

#2 scandinavian

Anderson

Patronymic

37,691 people

1 in every 202 Washington residents

Son of Anders or Andrew. Anderson ranks especially high in Washington because Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish immigrants settled around Seattle, Ballard, Tacoma, and smaller mill and fishing towns where Nordic churches and trade networks kept the name visible.

#1 scandinavian

Johnson

Patronymic

57,427 people

1 in every 132 Washington residents

Son of John, from the Hebrew name Yohanan. In Washington it is both an Anglo-American surname and a Scandinavian one, strengthened by Norwegian and Swedish families who entered Puget Sound fishing, logging, and maritime work from the late nineteenth century onward.

#3 english

Brown

Descriptive

33,604 people

1 in every 226 Washington residents

From Old English 'brun', a nickname for brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown reached Washington through broad English-speaking migration and appears across the state's older settlement zones, from Puget Sound towns to inland farming counties.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Nordic Ports, Asian Seattle, and Yakima Valley Fields

Washington's surname pattern begins with settlers from the Midwest, Canada, and the older American West who moved into logging camps, wheat counties, and railroad towns in the late nineteenth century. Scandinavian immigrants gave the state one of the country's strongest Nordic surname layers, especially in Ballard, Puget Sound maritime trades, and coastal fishing communities where Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Peterson, and Olson stayed common. Asian migration added another visible layer: Chinese residents were present in Seattle by the 1860s, Japanese farmers helped shape King County agriculture before World War II, and Southeast Asian refugees after 1975 helped lift Nguyen and Tran. In Eastern Washington, Mexican and Mexican American farmworker communities centered in the Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin pushed Garcia, Martinez, Lopez, Hernandez, and Rodriguez into the broader statewide ranking.

Did you know? Olson ranks 18th in Washington but only 135th nationally, one of the clearest surname clues that the state's Nordic history is not just a Ballard memory but a statewide demographic mark.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Washington

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Johnson scandinavian

57,427

1 in 132

Anderson scandinavian

37,691

1 in 202

Brown english

33,604

1 in 226

Miller english

31,277

1 in 243

An occupational surname for someone who ran a grain mill. Miller fits Washington's early economy, where wheat counties east of the Cascades, timber towns, and river settlements all depended on practical trades tied to food, lumber, and transport.

Williams welsh

30,021

1 in 253

Son of William, from the Germanic name Willahelm. Williams belongs to the durable British surname base carried west by families from the Midwest, the South, and the older Pacific Northwest during Washington's rapid growth after statehood in 1889.

Jones welsh

29,211

1 in 260

A Welsh patronymic meaning son of John. In Washington, Jones reflects general English-language migration rather than one enclave, which is why it appears in older ports, agricultural counties, and growing suburbs alike.

Davis welsh

25,675

1 in 296

Son of David, from the Hebrew name Dawid, meaning beloved. Davis followed the same westward routes that filled Washington's railroad towns, farms, and timber communities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Nelson scandinavian

22,060

1 in 345

Son of Nels or Nils, a Scandinavian form of Nicholas. Nelson's high Washington rank points to the Nordic families who worked in Puget Sound maritime trades, Alaska fishing routes, logging camps, and coastal settlements.

Lee english

22,052

1 in 345

In English, Lee means a clearing or meadow, from Old English 'leah', but in Washington it also overlaps with Chinese and Korean surname traditions. That dual identity matters in a state where Seattle's Asian American communities have been central since the nineteenth century.

#10

Thompson english

19,528

1 in 389

Son of Thomas, with the inserted 'p' becoming standard in medieval spelling. Thompson is common in Washington because it traveled easily with English-speaking settlers and also fit the wider northern European surname pool.

#11

Peterson scandinavian

18,019

1 in 422

Son of Peter, often anglicized from Petersen or Pedersen. Peterson ranks high in Washington because Nordic immigrants became prominent in Ballard, coastal fishing, and Puget Sound shipping work.

#12

Taylor english

17,956

1 in 424

From Old French 'tailleur', a cutter of cloth. Taylor is one of the broad occupational surnames carried west by English-speaking families into Washington's farms, ports, mining districts, and later metro suburbs.

#13

Martin french

17,258

1 in 441

From Latin 'Martinus', associated with Mars. In Washington, Martin is shared by several communities, including older Anglo-American families, French Canadian and Catholic lines, and Spanish-speaking families where Martin and Martinez sit near each other in the broader ranking.

#14

Clark english

17,168

1 in 443

From clerk, originally a literate or clerical worker. Clark has a Northwest resonance because William Clark's name was attached to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but most Washington Clark families reflect wider English-language migration rather than one founder.

#15

Nguyen vietnamese

15,654

1 in 486

Vietnam's most common surname, associated with the Nguyen dynasty and earlier Chinese-derived forms. Its Washington rank reflects Southeast Asian refugee resettlement after 1975 and later Vietnamese American communities in Seattle, King County, and other urban centers.

#16

Thomas welsh

15,105

1 in 503

From the Aramaic word for twin, carried into English and Welsh naming traditions through Christian usage. Thomas is a classic British surname in Washington, spread broadly by families who arrived for railroads, agriculture, military work, and urban jobs.

#17

White english

14,924

1 in 510

From Old English 'hwit', usually a nickname for fair hair, pale complexion, or white clothing. White appears throughout Washington because it belongs to the same general English-speaking surname pool that fed the state's nineteenth-century settlement.

#18

Olson scandinavian

13,959

1 in 545

Son of Ole or Olaf. Olson is far more prominent in Washington than in the United States overall, a sign of Norwegian and Swedish settlement in Ballard, Puget Sound maritime work, and northern farming and logging communities.

#19

Harris english

13,891

1 in 547

Son of Harry, a medieval form of Henry. Harris came west with English-speaking families and became common in Washington without belonging to a single ethnic enclave, which keeps it broadly distributed across the state.

#20

Allen english

13,321

1 in 571

Usually traced to the personal name Alan, possibly from Celtic roots meaning little rock or handsome. Allen is one of Washington's broad settler surnames, common enough to appear in cities, wheat country, military communities, and postwar suburbs.

Local Insight

Uniquely Washington

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

Olson scandinavian

Ranked #18 in Washington versus #135 nationally. That is 117 spots higher here.

Olson means son of Ole or Olaf and ranks far higher in Washington than nationally. Its strength reflects Norwegian and Swedish settlement around Puget Sound, especially Ballard and maritime communities tied to fishing, ship work, and Alaska routes.

Hansen scandinavian

Ranked #34 in Washington versus #174 nationally. That is 140 spots higher here.

Hansen means son of Hans, a Scandinavian form of John. Washington's high Hansen rank points to the same Nordic migration that shaped Ballard, Tacoma, coastal fishing towns, and logging communities from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth.

Larson scandinavian

Ranked #38 in Washington versus #213 nationally. That is 175 spots higher here.

Larson means son of Lars, the Scandinavian form of Lawrence. Its Washington concentration comes from Nordic families who entered sawmills, farms, fishing fleets, and Puget Sound neighborhoods where Scandinavian social clubs and churches reinforced family networks.

Carlson scandinavian

Ranked #44 in Washington versus #207 nationally. That is 163 spots higher here.

Carlson means son of Carl. The name sits high in Washington because Swedish and other Nordic immigrants were unusually visible in Seattle, Ballard, and western Washington's timber and maritime economy.

Tran vietnamese

Ranked #72 in Washington versus #194 nationally. That is 122 spots higher here.

Tran is a major Vietnamese surname and one of Washington's clearest post-1975 refugee-era names. Its statewide rank reflects Southeast Asian settlement in the Seattle area and other urban communities rather than the older pioneer surname layer.

Etymology

Washington Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate Washington's top 20, including Johnson, Anderson, Williams, Jones, Davis, Nelson, Thompson, Peterson, Martin, Thomas, Harris, and Allen. The group is unusually Nordic for a West Coast state because Scandinavian son-names were reinforced by fishing, logging, and maritime settlement around Puget Sound.

Johnson (son of John) Anderson (son of Anders) Nelson (son of Nels) Peterson (son of Peter) Olson (son of Ole)

Occupational Names

Miller, Taylor, and Clark are the main occupational names in Washington's top 20. They fit a state whose early non-Native economy was built around mills, railroads, ports, farms, and administrative town centers rather than old colonial counties.

Miller (grain miller) Taylor (tailor) Clark (clerical worker)

Asian and Pacific Surnames

Lee and Nguyen show how Washington's Pacific-facing migration history changed the surname list. Chinese residents were present in Seattle by the 1860s, Japanese and Filipino communities shaped farms and urban labor, and Southeast Asian refugees after 1975 made Vietnamese names much more visible.

Lee (English clearing; also Chinese and Korean surname) Nguyen (Vietnamese dynastic surname) Tran (Vietnamese surname) Kim (Korean surname meaning gold)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in Washington?

The most common last names in Washington in this statewide table are Johnson, Anderson, Brown, Miller, and Williams. The ranking is notable because Johnson and Anderson reflect the state's unusually strong Scandinavian surname layer.

Why are Scandinavian last names so common in Washington?

Scandinavian last names are common in Washington because Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish immigrants settled around Puget Sound, Ballard, Tacoma, and coastal fishing towns in large numbers from the late nineteenth century. That history helps explain high-ranking names such as Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Peterson, Olson, Hansen, Larson, and Carlson.

Why is Nguyen common in Washington?

Nguyen is common in Washington because Southeast Asian refugees began arriving after 1975, and Vietnamese American communities took root in Seattle, King County, and other urban centers. In this statewide table, Nguyen ranks 15th, ahead of many older English surnames.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in Washington — Primary source for statewide surname rankings, counts, frequency ratios, and national rank comparisons
U.S. Census Bureau - Washington 2010 Census — Washington's 2010 population and basic census reference
HistoryLink - Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard — Background on Scandinavian migration and Ballard's Nordic identity
HistoryLink - Latino History in Washington State — History of Latino settlement in the Yakima Valley, Eastern Washington, and King County
HistoryLink - Southeast Asian Americans — Context for post-1975 Southeast Asian refugee settlement and community formation in Washington

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Johnson
People named #1: 57,427
1 in every: 132 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 6,724,540
Census year: 2010

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Most Common Last Names in Washington

Nordic Ports, Asian Seattle, and Yakima Valley Fields

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Washington

Uniquely Washington