Meaning of Most Popular Last Names in Arkansas +Texas

Have you ever wondered what the most popular surnames (last names) are in Arkansas and Texas?

For example, my last name is Garcia, and the name derives from my Hispanic heritage, Garcia in Latin countries is equivalent to the surname Smith in the United States.  Let's take a look and see what the Most Popular Last Names are in Arkansas and Texas, according to the website Ancestry.com. Garcia seems to be a hot name that is being used in a lot of movies or television shows these days some characters have even been using Garcia as a first name too.

Unlike a lot of celebrities who change their name, Mario Garcia is my real name.

According to Britannica, many of Arkansas' early settlers were of French or Spanish descent so you would think that last names would have some type of French or Spanish origin but not.

Arkansas

Smith

English and Scottish descent denoting a worker in metal or iron such as a blacksmith. It is very common among African Americans and Native Americans.

Williams

The surname is common in Wales and is a variant of the word William. It is also a very common surname among African and Native Americans in the United States.

Johnson

This surname has many variants from other languages such as Norwegian, Danish, German, English, and Scottish. Derived from names like Johan often interchange with  Jenson, John, and Janson

Texas

Garcia  

Found in medieval records from the Latin form Garsea and could also be of Roman origin derived from the word Basque meaning, "Bear."

Smith

English and Scottish descent denoting a worker in metal or iron such as a blacksmith. It is very common among African Americans and Native Americans.

Martinez

Derived from Spanish and for the name Martin. Martinez is also popular in southern Italy since the time of Spanish explorers and Spanish influence.

Most Common Surnames in the U.S.

Of course, many last names are based on the region or are common where the person lives. It's worth noting that Johnson, Jones, Williams, and Anderson are the most common surnames in each state.

And just in case you are curious about the meaning and origin of your last name look it up here to find out. You just might be surprised by what you find!