Most popular surname by state

[treestar]

https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/whats-the-most-popular-surname-in-your-state/?o_xid=80633&o_lid=80633&o_sch=External+Paid+Media

Look at California! And Texas.

[left-of-center2012]

1. The "Smith" family really got around

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. But the "Man" family seems to be more accomplished.

Every other day there's a story about "Florida Man" or "Texas Man" or "California Man" or...

They're fertile little suckers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. The lack of German names is surprising

since I've seen people say that German ancestry is very common in the US (in the UK, Smith=1, Johnson=10, Williams=3). Perhaps German names are "more spread out" between different ones.

[leftstreet]

4. Well Schmidt is basically Smith

Schmidt being a hugely popular German name

[AwakeAtLast]

9. I come from Smiths AND Schmidts

Can't get much whiter, can I?

[dsc]

5. In WW1 we went through a very anti German period

many such names were anglicized.

[treestar]

7. True

I know someone whose family changed the pronunciation of a German name to make it sound un-german. Another strategy

[TexasBushwhacker]

8. Yes

My grandfather changed the family name of Reimenschneider to Reimen becayse of anti-German sentiments. His 2 brothers kept the "schneider". My grandfather was the only one of the 3 who could find work during the Great Depression.

[JonLP24]

6. My name comes from mostly Central Southwest

Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia are the most common states. Also 124 confederates and 70 union

[CBHagman]

10. That map fascinated me...

...and I'd be interested to see how it will look in just a few more years!