# Where does your last name rank? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584 "2003-11-27T16:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/41 "2003-11-27T17:41:36Z")
I’m 71348. And surprised I’m on it. ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/42 "2003-11-27T17:45:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolfman \* > \*\*The methodology looks a little suspect to me. They are obviously ranking names that are equivelent in popularity and throwinging a rank in arbitrarily.(Unless by some huge coincidence the most popular names from rank 75677 to 88799 happen to fall in alphebetical order :)) … \*\* It starts to get suspiciously alphabetical after about 1796. By the 3000 block, it is clearly one (reverse) alphabetical list after another. What’s going on with that? I thought it was cute that Mapp and Lucia are adjacent at 6116 and 6117 respectively. My surname is not on the list. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/43 "2003-11-27T17:47:34Z")
Woo! I’m number one. My surname’s in the 3,000s though. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/44 "2003-11-27T18:09:06Z")
Nup. My surname hails from a clan out in California – and doesn’t even feature. One version of my first name is in the top twenty, the other in the 500s. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/45 "2003-11-27T18:12:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > \*\ ***Mycroft Holmes** , I’m 329 as well. I didn’t know there were that many of us. Huh. \*\* Me too! Wouldn’t it be weird to find out that the three of us are related somehow? Although, as a reasonable high 329th most common last name, I guess that’s not too likely. ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/46 "2003-11-27T18:19:16Z")
Well, no big surprise, last name is 5th. I thought my first name was common enough to rank about as high on the list, but it’s down at number 53. Oh well, it was fun as a kid, always being able to find a personalized license plate for my bike or a t-shirt on vacation. I once forgot my id before going to the bank, and though the teller knew me, she had a difficult time figuring out which account was mine. Turned out there were 5 of me (first, middle, and last name) at that branch alone. I guess I could always turn to a life of crime. heh ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/47 "2003-11-27T18:19:50Z")
I’m 365 and 428 respectivly. Hey - just about everyone on here knows my real name anyhow… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/48 "2003-11-27T18:20:42Z")
First name #33, last name just a few short of 1500 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/49 "2003-11-27T18:34:05Z")
Per what the others have said, there is _way_ too much same initial sur-name letter lumping going on as you get into the early thousands for this to be a truly valid ordinal list for the less common names. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/50 "2003-11-27T18:56:18Z")
Last name is #1 and my first name is in the top five. There are quite a few of us around. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/51 "2003-11-27T19:11:39Z")
583 for me. I wonder how many of us had their name changed upon entering the US, like my GGGrandfather did. The name he started with isn’t on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Blackdragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Blackdragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackdragon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/52 "2003-11-27T19:17:17Z")
My last name was in the 1600’s and my first name was in the top 5. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/53 "2003-11-27T19:28:02Z")
I am well below 36000! I am not surpised, though. Can anyone beat me? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/54 "2003-11-27T19:53:23Z")
Not telling you my last name… But here are some good ones (appologies for pointing out funny sounding foreign names) OSHITA TAKESHITA ICHINOSE BLACKBUM BOGGUS SMELLEY ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/55 "2003-11-27T20:08:27Z")
My first name is 4th! My last name is in the 16000 range. I’m surprised it’s even there. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/56 "2003-11-27T20:16:14Z")
I think I could win this one. Here we go - my surname is _not even on the list_. That puts me somewhere beyond 88,000. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/57 "2003-11-27T20:17:17Z")
…if you put my surname into a search engine, you’ll either get me or my dad as a result. We traced six people in the UK with our family name, all related, and nobody anywhere else in the countries we looked at (mostly US and Australia). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/58 "2003-11-27T20:26:53Z")
I’m 31. (Last name) First and middle names well up in the top forty. Let’s face it, I’m common as muck. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/59 "2003-11-27T20:30:53Z")
My first name is in the middle (this surprised me), my middle name is one of the most popular, and my last is in the mid 100s. But if you put my first name and my surname together, I’m unique in the UK. There are a few QSs in the US, but I’d be willing to bet that there’s noone else in the entire world with the same full name as me. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584/60 "2003-11-27T20:34:55Z")
Variations on my last name:- Rice 146 Reese 372 Reece 1278 Rees 2949 Preece 5183 Pryce 11469 Ryce 24254 Rhys - Not listed (Preece & Pryce being “Ap Rees” & “Ap Rice”, sort of “son of” in Welsh IIRC) There are several variations on my first name in both male and female lists [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-your-last-name-rank/215584.md?page=4)