Most people seem to think the most common last name in America is Smith.  That holds true in Angelina County, but there is a different name that tops the list in Nacogdoches County.  And does your name make the most-common list?

We checked, and Smith is the most common last name in Angelina County, with 1 in 85 people having that last name in Lufkin.   If you're playing "guess-my-last-name" at a party this weekend, guess Smith.

Smith falls to second place in Nacogdoches County, with 1 in 93 people having that name.  One in 82 people in Nac has the name Johnson, and that's good for first place.

Williams, Davis, and Jones round out the top five in Nacogdoches County.

In Angelina County, after the name Smith, Williams, Johnson, Jones, and Davis are most common.

We hear these last names a lot, and it's interesting to learn how many East Texans have them.

Other names that make the Top 100 in Angelina and Nacogdoches counties:

Taylor

Thomas

Hill

Walker

Anderson

Martinez

Roberts

Phillips

Rodriguez

Baker

Adams

Bell

Wallace

Ellis

Cox

Garcia

Luna

Price

Lewis

Sparks

 

My dad is on the ancestry websites constantly, digging up interesting tidbits like this and connecting our family to Blakes and McCallums, but no Smiths or Johnsons.  Geneology is interesting, and it makes us wonder how some names get popular and others don't so much.  It's a lot of work reproducing at such a pace, so nice work Browns, nice work.

This also makes us wonder why some Johnsons are related and some are not.  Things that decrease the probability of having a common ancestor:

• If the surname refers to any occupation (such as Smith, Cooper, Baker, etc.).

• If the surname is a color, thing or place (such as Black or Underhill).

• If the surname refers to a physical characteristic (such as Small).

• If the surname refers to the son of someone (such as Anderson or Johnson).

Fascinating!  Whatever your family history, congrats to all of you Smiths and Johnsons, on being East Texas royalty.  Let's smoke a brisket and have a Shiner to celebrate.

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