Garcias Catching Up With Smiths

Smith is still the most common US surname, but Garcia and Rodriguez are hot on its tail, the New York Times says. Those two Hispanic names cracked the Census Bureau’s latest top 10, likely marking the first time a non-Anglo name has been so prevalent. After seeing their ranks swell 58% in the 1990s, Latinos now represent 13% of the population.

Latinos have mostly eschewed adopting Anglo surnames, as immigrants of yore did. Asians are keeping their names too, with Lee coming in 22nd, although half the Lees were white.  And though 1 in every 25 person is named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller, or Davis, the list shows some staggering diversity: 4 million people have a totally unique surname. (More Hispanic stories.)