Changes in the most common surnames in the United States reflect the country’s growing diversity. The most common names in the United States are Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones. But Latino names now occupy three positions on the list of the top 10 surnames from the U.S. Census Bureau. Garcia is the sixth most common surname. Rodriguez ranks 9th, and Martinez, 10th.
“We are becoming a much more racially diverse country, especially among the younger population,” said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution and author of the book Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America.
Between the national censuses of 2000 and 2010, Vazquez and Velazquez were among the fastest-growing surnames. Bautista, a Spanish name also popular in the Philippines, is another name on the fast-growing list, according to the Census Bureau. (The analysis of the 2020 census was delayed by the pandemic. Experts expect the increase in Hispanic/Latino names to have continued.)
Population Growth
The majority of the increase in these names is due to population growth. Hispanics represent 18.5% of the population, up from 13% in 2000.
In recent decades, population growth due to immigration tends to come more from Hispanics and people of Asian descent than from people of European descent, says Frey. Overall, higher birth rates among Hispanics and people of Asian origin compared to white people mean that the younger generation — in particular — is more diverse. This generation will also continue to be so, as there is a smaller proportion of white women of childbearing age, according to Frey.
The boom of working-age immigrants helps drive the workforce and means that more workers can support the elderly through contributions to Social Security and Medicare, he says.
“We have a young population that adds energy to our workforce,” says Frey. “They are the children and grandchildren of immigrants. This means they are more globally oriented. This will help them be open and receptive to the global connections we need.”
An American Story
Peter A. Morrison, former demographer at Rand and now head of Morrison & Associates, says that immigrants and the diverse populations descended from them are part of American history.
Morrison says that while the origins of Americans change, there is a common theme in the stories of many Americans: they or their ancestors had the “ambition to leave their place of origin and seek a better life elsewhere.”
Furthermore, says Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the more than 60 million Hispanic Americans today “strengthen our nation every day.”
Source: share.america.gov