A recent study by Ancestry.com explores the most frequently occuring American surnames, compiling data gathered from phone books. ‘Smith’ emerges as the most common example by some considerable margin, topping the list in 40 states. Other popular surnames include Johnson, Miller, Jones, Williams, and Anderson.

A follow-up article by Newsweek dug deeper into the evidence and asked what this onomastic survey might tell us about America: the origins of many of these names, historic and modern patterns of immigration, and demographic variations across the country. Their article also includes a handy interactive map that lets you view the breakdown by state – explore away!

-T.K.A