Most Common Last Names in Wyoming

Top 3 — Wyoming

#2 english

Johnson

Patronymic

4,331 people

1 in every 138 Wyoming residents

Son of John, from Hebrew 'Yohanan' (God is gracious). Johnson ranks unusually high in Wyoming because it fits both English-language settlement and Scandinavian patronymic traditions common across the northern Plains.

#1 english

Smith

Occupational

4,706 people

1 in every 127 Wyoming residents

From Old English 'smið', a metalworker. Smith leads Wyoming because it traveled easily with English, Scottish, Irish, and American-born migrants who moved through trail, railroad, ranching, and mining communities.

#3 english

Miller

Occupational

3,323 people

1 in every 179 Wyoming residents

A grain mill worker, from Middle English 'miller'. Miller rose with farming and small-town settlement, and in Wyoming it also overlaps with German Mueller families whose name was often anglicized.

Name origins â€” top 20 surnames

Name origins - top 20 surnames

Name origins — top 20 surnames

Heritage

Railroad Towns, Ranch Country, and Western Settlements

Wyoming's naming map was built along travel corridors: the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails crossed the state before the Union Pacific made southern Wyoming a chain of railroad and coal towns. English and Scots-Irish names such as Smith, Brown, Jones, Clark, Taylor, and Hill spread through ranching counties, while Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Peterson, Hansen, Jensen, Christensen, and Larson reflect Scandinavian settlement across the northern Plains and the Intermountain West. Martinez entered the top 20 through the long Hispanic presence in the Rocky Mountain region and through agricultural, railroad, and energy work in towns tied to sugar beets, coal, oil, and gas.

Did you know? Wyoming has only about 11 people per unique surname in the Forebears dataset, which means uncommon family names can become visible statewide with just a few hundred bearers.

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Wyoming

Showing all 20 surnames

Tap a name to expand meaning

Smith english

4,706

1 in 127

Johnson english

4,331

1 in 138

Miller english

3,323

1 in 179

A grain mill worker, from Middle English 'miller'. Miller rose with farming and small-town settlement, and in Wyoming it also overlaps with German Mueller families whose name was often anglicized.

Anderson scottish

2,860

1 in 209

Son of Andrew, from Greek 'Andreas' (manly). Anderson is common in Wyoming because it came through both Scots-Irish migration and Scandinavian Andersson or Andersen families who settled across the West.

Brown english

2,780

1 in 215

From Old English 'brún', a nickname for brown hair, brown clothing, or complexion. Brown spread widely with American-born settlers and became a durable ranch-country surname because it required no single ethnic channel.

Jones welsh

2,228

1 in 268

From John, via the Welsh form 'Ioan'. Jones came west with families from older American settlement zones, and its presence in Wyoming mirrors the movement of English and Welsh names into mining, railroad, and livestock towns.

Williams english

2,211

1 in 270

Son of William, from a Norman personal name meaning will plus helmet or protection. Williams ranks below Jones and Brown in Wyoming, a contrast with many Southern states where post-Civil War naming made it even more dominant.

Davis welsh

2,032

1 in 293

Son of David, from Hebrew 'Dawid' (beloved). Davis is one of the Welsh-origin names that became broadly American before Wyoming statehood in 1890, then moved west with settlers and workers rather than one narrow immigrant group.

Nelson english

1,747

1 in 341

Son of Nell or Neil, though in the American West it often also reflects Scandinavian Nelsen or Nielsen forms. Nelson's top-10 position is one of the clearest signs of northern European settlement in Wyoming.

#10

Clark english

1,671

1 in 357

From Latin 'clericus', a clerk, cleric, or literate official. Clark fits Wyoming's frontier paper trail because clerks, merchants, surveyors, and ranch families carried the name into county seats and railroad towns.

#11

Taylor english

1,669

1 in 357

From Old French 'tailleur', one who cuts cloth. Taylor spread through Wyoming as a common American surname, with no need for a large textile trade in the state itself.

#12

Thompson english

1,592

1 in 375

Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas. Thompson sits high in Wyoming because it overlaps English, Scottish, and Scandinavian naming patterns, including families whose original name was closer to Thomson or Thomsen.

#13

Martinez spanish

1,447

1 in 412

Son of Martín, from Latin 'Martinus', connected to Mars. Martinez is Wyoming's highest-ranking Spanish surname, tied to Hispanic families in the broader Rocky Mountain region and to work in agriculture, railroads, coal, and energy towns.

#14

Martin french

1,431

1 in 417

From Latin 'Martinus', of Mars. Martin in Wyoming can be English, French, Irish, or German in family history, which helps explain why it ranks just behind the Spanish patronymic Martinez.

#15

Peterson scandinavian

1,415

1 in 421

Son of Peter, from Greek 'Petros' (rock). Peterson is a signature Intermountain West surname, especially in communities influenced by Scandinavian converts to the LDS Church and northern Plains migration.

#16

Thomas english

1,219

1 in 489

From Aramaic 'Toma', meaning twin. Thomas came west as a fully national surname, carried by English, Welsh, and American-born families into Wyoming's county towns and ranch districts.

#17

Baker english

1,142

1 in 522

A bread baker, from Old English 'baecere'. Baker is one of the practical trade names in Wyoming's top 20, a reminder that common surnames often preserve medieval occupations rather than local frontier jobs.

#18

Allen english

1,120

1 in 532

From the personal name Alan, possibly Celtic in origin and often glossed as little rock or harmony. Allen arrived in Wyoming through many American migration routes, which makes it common without being tied to one county or ethnic settlement.

#19

Roberts english

1,082

1 in 551

Son of Robert, from a Germanic name meaning bright fame. Roberts is strongly Welsh and English in American use, matching the older Anglo-American stream that supplied many Wyoming ranching and town families.

#20

Hill english

1,077

1 in 554

A person who lived by or on a hill, from Old English 'hyll'. Hill is a landscape surname that reads naturally in Wyoming, but its meaning comes from medieval England rather than the state's mountains and basins.

Local Insight

Uniquely Wyoming

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

Legerski polish

Ranked #253 in Wyoming versus #65593 nationally. That is 65340 spots higher here.

Forebears counts 250 people named Legerski in Wyoming and reports that most U.S. bearers of the name are in the state. Its visibility fits the Polish thread in Wyoming coal communities, especially in Sheridan and Rock Springs area mining history.

Vigil spanish

Ranked #115 in Wyoming versus #1329 nationally. That is 1214 spots higher here.

Vigil ranks only 115th in Wyoming, but it is far more concentrated here than many nationally common surnames. The name points toward Hispanic family networks reaching north from New Mexico and Colorado into Wyoming's agricultural, railroad, and energy towns.

Allred english

Ranked #236 in Wyoming versus #1738 nationally. That is 1502 spots higher here.

Allred is not a top-100 Wyoming surname, but it appears strongly enough to mark LDS-linked settlement in western Wyoming. Star Valley and the Big Horn Basin both drew Latter-day Saint families from Utah and Idaho in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Christensen danish

Ranked #44 in Wyoming versus #372 nationally. That is 328 spots higher here.

Christensen sits just outside Wyoming's top 40 while ranking much lower nationally. Its Danish patronymic form reflects Scandinavian migration into LDS and northern Plains communities.

Hansen scandinavian

Ranked #28 in Wyoming versus #174 nationally. That is 146 spots higher here.

Hansen ranks 28th in Wyoming, well above its national rank. The name is a compact clue to Danish and Norwegian settlement patterns that also lift Jensen, Larson, Petersen, and Rasmussen in the state list.

Etymology

Wyoming Last Name Meanings: Occupational, Patronymic & Habitational

Occupational Names

Five of Wyoming's top 20 are occupational names: Smith, Miller, Clark, Taylor, and Baker. Their meanings come from medieval trades, but in Wyoming they spread through ranching towns, railroad stops, county seats, and mining camps rather than through the original jobs alone.

Smith (metalworker) Miller (grain mill worker) Clark (clerk or cleric) Baker (bread baker)

Patronymic Names

Patronymics dominate Wyoming's ranking, from Johnson and Anderson to Martinez, Peterson, Thomas, and Roberts. The pattern is especially northern European: English '-son' names overlap with Scandinavian forms, which is why Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Thompson, and Peterson all rank high.

Johnson (son of John) Anderson (son of Andrew) Martinez (son of Martin) Peterson (son of Peter)

Habitational Names

Hill is the only clearly habitational surname in Wyoming's top 20, but place and landscape names become more visible farther down the list. Names such as Wood, Wells, Mills, and Berg show how English and northern European place-based surnames survived westward migration.

Hill (near a hill) Wood (near a wood) Wells (near a spring or well)

Quick Answers

What are the most common last names in Wyoming?

The most common last names in Wyoming are Smith, Johnson, Miller, Anderson, and Brown. In the Forebears ranking, Smith leads with 4,706 bearers, followed by Johnson with 4,331 and Miller with 3,323.

Why are Scandinavian last names so common in Wyoming?

Scandinavian last names are common in Wyoming because Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish families moved through the northern Plains and the Intermountain West, including LDS settlements in places such as Star Valley and the Big Horn Basin. That history helps explain high-ranking names such as Johnson, Anderson, Nelson, Peterson, Hansen, Jensen, Christensen, and Larson.

Sources

Forebears - Most Common Surnames in Wyoming — Wyoming surname incidence, frequency, state rank, and national rank data used for the top-20 list and distinctive surname notes
U.S. Census Bureau - Frequently Occurring Surnames — National 2010 Census surname data used for broad U.S. ranking and surname context
WyoHistory.org — Wyoming historical context on the Union Pacific Railroad, coal camps, Star Valley, and LDS settlement in the Big Horn Basin

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.

#1 Surname: Smith
People named #1: 4,706
1 in every: 127 residents
Top origin: English
State population: 563,626
Census year: 2010

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Most Common Last Names in Wyoming

Railroad Towns, Ranch Country, and Western Settlements

Top 20 Most Common Last Names in Wyoming

Uniquely Wyoming