Genealogy & Demographics West Virginia 2010 Census Top 20 Surnames

Most Common Last Names in West Virginia

The most common last names in West Virginia are Smith, Miller, Davis, Johnson, and Williams, led by English, Welsh, and German-rooted names carried through the Appalachian valleys. Miller ranks second here, far higher than in many states, while Adkins reaches the top 10 because old mountain family networks remained unusually concentrated.

West Virginia state flag

West Virginia

Top 20 Most Common Surnames - 2010 Census

Top 3 — West Virginia

#2 english
Miller
Occupational
13,210 people
1 in every 135 West Virginia residents

A person who operated a grain mill. Miller's high rank reflects both English occupational naming and German Mueller lines that became Miller in a state where German-speaking settlers were present in the Potomac headwaters and mountain valleys before statehood.

#1 english
Smith
Occupational
21,205 people
1 in every 84 West Virginia residents

From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith reached western Virginia with British-origin families moving through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Shenandoah Valley, then spread widely enough to lead both West Virginia and the nation.

#3 welsh
Davis
Patronymic
10,502 people
1 in every 169 West Virginia residents

Son of David, from the Hebrew name meaning beloved. Davis fits West Virginia's Welsh and border-British layer, visible in older valley settlements and in family networks that expanded through the central and southern mountains.

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Valley Migration, Mountain Kinship, and Coalfield Work

West Virginia's surname map begins in the Shenandoah Valley, where German, Scotch-Irish, English, and Welsh families moved south and west through the corridor between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Early settlements around Berkeley County, Shepherdstown, Romney, the Greenbrier Valley, and the Monongahela country fixed many of the names that still dominate the state. Coal and railroad work later brought African American workers and European immigrants into southern and northern industrial counties, but the top 20 remains strongly Appalachian because many founding families stayed close to the same valleys for generations.

Did you know? Adkins ranks seventh in West Virginia but only 448th nationally, which makes it one of the clearest signals that this is not just a national surname list with state labels attached.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in West Virginia

Showing all 20 surnames

#1
Smith english
21,205
1 in 84
From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith reached western Virginia with British-origin families moving through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Shenandoah Valley, then spread widely enough to lead both West Virginia and the nation.
#2
Miller english
13,210
1 in 135
A person who operated a grain mill. Miller's high rank reflects both English occupational naming and German Mueller lines that became Miller in a state where German-speaking settlers were present in the Potomac headwaters and mountain valleys before statehood.
#3
Davis welsh
10,502
1 in 169
Son of David, from the Hebrew name meaning beloved. Davis fits West Virginia's Welsh and border-British layer, visible in older valley settlements and in family networks that expanded through the central and southern mountains.
#4
Johnson english
10,242
1 in 174
Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan', meaning God is gracious. Johnson is common across West Virginia because it belonged to early English-speaking settlers and later to families who moved into mining and railroad towns.
#5
Williams welsh
9,874
1 in 180
Son of William, from the Norman name 'Willahelm', meaning will and helm. Williams spread through West Virginia with Welsh, English, and Scots-Irish families, then remained common in both rural counties and industrial towns.
#6
Brown english
9,850
1 in 181
From Old English 'brún', describing brown hair, complexion, or clothing. Brown's wide use across West Virginia reflects an old English nickname that arrived before the state split from Virginia in 1863.
#7
Adkins english
9,515
1 in 187
From Adkin, a medieval pet form of Adam. Adkins is far more common in West Virginia than nationally, a pattern tied to Appalachian families that multiplied through closely connected hollows, creek valleys, and county lines.
#8
Jones welsh
9,426
1 in 189
Son of John, from Welsh forms such as Ieuan and Siôn. Jones belongs to the same Welsh and border-country stream that made Davis and Williams unusually sturdy names in the central Appalachian surname belt.
#9
Taylor english
8,173
1 in 218
From Old French 'tailleur', a cutter of cloth. Taylor shows how medieval trade names survived in frontier farming communities where the original occupation no longer defined the family.
#10
White english
7,534
1 in 236
From Old English 'hwīt', often describing pale hair, complexion, or clothing. White is common across the state because it entered western Virginia through many unrelated English-speaking families rather than a single founder line.
#11
Thompson english
6,534
1 in 272
Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson fits West Virginia's broad British patronymic pattern, especially the names carried through the upland migration routes from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and older Virginia.
#12
Bailey english
6,384
1 in 279
From Middle English 'baili', a bailiff or official. Bailey ranks much higher in West Virginia than nationally, showing how an old office name became embedded in Appalachian family clusters.
#13
Hall english
6,209
1 in 287
A person who lived or worked at a hall, manor house, or large residence. Hall is a classic Appalachian surname in West Virginia, common enough to sit in the top 15 and noticeably stronger than its national position.
#14
Thomas welsh
6,112
1 in 291
From Aramaic 'Toma', meaning twin, and widely adopted in Wales and England. Thomas reinforces the Welsh layer in West Virginia's top 20, alongside Davis, Williams, and Jones.
#15
Anderson scottish
5,230
1 in 340
Son of Andrew, from Greek 'Andreas'. Anderson came through Scottish, northern English, and Scots-Irish channels, all of which fed the Appalachian migration into western Virginia.
#16
Bennett english
4,912
1 in 362
From the medieval given name Benedict, meaning blessed. Bennett's strength in West Virginia points to older English family lines that remained visible after generations of local growth.
#17
Lewis welsh
4,711
1 in 378
From the given name Lewis, a Welsh and English form related to Louis. In West Virginia, the name has added resonance because early Greenbrier Valley settlement included the Lewis family line that gave Lewisburg its name.
#18
Clark english
4,581
1 in 388
From Old English 'clerc', a clerk, scholar, or churchman. Clark carried the memory of literacy and record-keeping into a frontier society where courthouse, church, and land records mattered.
#19
Young english
4,096
1 in 434
From Old English 'geong', a nickname for a younger person, often used to distinguish father and son. Young is common in West Virginia because simple descriptive surnames traveled easily through the English-speaking upland South.
#20
Adams english
4,093
1 in 435
Son of Adam, from the Hebrew name connected with man or earth. Adams closes the top 20 with another old patronymic, matching West Virginia's broader pattern of names built from fathers' given names.

Local Insight

Uniquely West Virginia

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

Adkins english

Ranked #7 in West Virginia versus #448 nationally. That is 441 spots higher here.

Adkins is West Virginia's most striking top-10 surname, with more than one-tenth of the U.S. total in the Forebears ranking. Its state rank reflects Appalachian family continuity more than national popularity.

Blankenship english

Ranked #36 in West Virginia versus #768 nationally. That is 732 spots higher here.

Blankenship is usually treated as a form of Blenkinsop, an English habitational surname tied to Northumberland. In West Virginia it reads as a mountain surname, concentrated through family networks in the southern coalfield and neighboring Appalachian counties.

Workman english

Ranked #41 in West Virginia versus #1090 nationally. That is 1049 spots higher here.

Workman is an occupational surname for a laborer or skilled worker, and West Virginia holds an unusually large share of the national total. The name's plain meaning fits a state whose modern identity was shaped by mining, timber, railroads, and industrial labor.

Mullins english

Ranked #27 in West Virginia versus #461 nationally. That is 434 spots higher here.

Mullins is often explained as a Norman-influenced surname connected with mills, though Irish Mullen-related lines are also possible. Its high West Virginia rank links the state to the larger Appalachian surname belt shared with eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia.

Hatfield english

Ranked #75 in West Virginia versus #968 nationally. That is 893 spots higher here.

Hatfield is an English habitational surname meaning heath field. In West Virginia it is inseparable from the Tug Fork border country, where the Hatfield-McCoy feud made a local family name nationally recognizable.

Etymology

West Virginia Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Smith, Miller, Taylor, Bailey, and Clark give West Virginia five occupational names in the top 20. Miller is the standout because it combines an English trade name with German Mueller families who became Miller in an early settlement zone with strong German roots.

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

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate the ranking, including Davis, Johnson, Williams, Adkins, Jones, Thompson, Thomas, Anderson, Bennett, Lewis, and Adams. That pattern reflects Welsh, English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish naming customs carried into the mountains before West Virginia became a state in 1863.

Davis (son of David) Johnson (son of John) Williams (son of William) Adkins (son or kin of Adkin)

Habitational Names

Hall is the clearest place-based surname in the top 20, while distinctive West Virginia names such as Blankenship and Hatfield preserve older English place-name habits. These names show how medieval locations stayed attached to families long after the families crossed the Atlantic and settled Appalachian valleys.

Hall (near or at a hall) Blankenship (linked to Blenkinsop) Hatfield (heath field)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in West Virginia?
The most common last names in West Virginia are Smith, Miller, Davis, Johnson, and Williams. Smith ranks first statewide, while Miller ranks second and is especially strong compared with its position in many other states.
Why is Adkins so common in West Virginia?
Adkins is so common in West Virginia because it belongs to the Appalachian surname belt, where related families often stayed in the same mountain counties for generations. It ranks seventh in West Virginia but only 448th nationally.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
#1 Surname
Smith
People named #1
21,205
1 in every
84 residents
Top origin
English
State population
1,852,994
Census year
2010

Related States

Mississippi state flag
Mississippi
Oklahoma state flag
Oklahoma
Virginia state flag
Virginia
South Carolina state flag
South Carolina
Alabama state flag
Alabama
View all states
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

You Might Also Like