The most common last names in New Jersey
For generations, the most common last names in New Jersey were similar to many other states and the rest of the country.
Those would be Smith, Williams and Johnson. However, things are changing.
A deeper dive into the numbers shows Patel as the most popular name in New Jersey while another list shows Patel coming in as the third most popular surname.
This is not surprising with the large Indian-American population in Central Jersey places like Iselin and Edison.
Four Hispanic last names round out the top 12 in New Jersey. Those being Gonzales, Rivera, Perez, Garcia, Martinez and Lopez.
With New Jersey's Italian, Irish and Jewish populations having a prominent reputation in the state, you might expect to see more of those names dominate the list.
Along with the predominantly English ancestral names, there are quite a few Irish surnames near the top of the list, with a smaller amount of traditionally Jewish surnames in the top 50.
You have to get to #137 to find an Italian surname like Marino on one list and Russo (the most popular last name in Italy) coming in at #67 on another list of the most popular names in New Jersey.
If your last name is Smith, Johnson or Williams, you're still among the most popular surnames in the United States.
Six of the top 13 most common last names in the country are of Hispanic origin. The further away from our Garden State you travel the more you'll find names that just aren't that common here.
You can expect to hear just about any name here in our very diverse state.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.
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