I know this is a mildly old question, but I disagree with the other commenter. I also disagree with the idea that any names are spelled differently in the US. The US doesn't have homogeneity in terms of name spelling. Beyond that, I had a teacher in high school (In the U.S.) whose surname was Richard- no s. Don't trust Nameberry for name meanings. It's notoriously wrong about most of them and inaccurate/oversimplified regarding others. Amery sounds like a normal surname to me, as does Amory. As of 2014, there were 317 people in the US with the former and 677 people with the latter.Auger is slightly less normal than Amery/Amory, but it still sounds fine. There were 5,160 people with it (in 2014, though I won't say that from here on out).Ethan is more like a first name than a surname. My source says there were no people with it at the time of the survey, but I think that's unlikely.Fermi is an established surname that's heavily, heavily associated with Enrico Fermi and his discoveries, particularly the Fermi Paradox.Gavi sounds normal. The stats say 103 people had it in 2014. There isn't much more to say about this one.Guillaume is also much more common as a first name than a last name. It's French- very heavily so. It's related to the William family of names. 3,363 people were recorded with it.Hamza is Arabic, as your source claims. It's a pretty normal-sounding Arabic name. 972 people.You should stray away from websites like Nameberry when discussing Native American names. It was (and is?) pretty common for non-indigenous people to fabricate mildly native-sounding names and claim nonexistent meanings. The most famous case of this is probably the name of the state Ohio. Be especially cautious if the source doesn't mention a specific tribe, as there are about 500 different Native American languages with their own naming traditions. I'd assume Imala was Indian (from India) if I heard it without context, and so it'd be fine on someone of that ancestry, especially since 12,256 people in India were recorded with it in 2014.As I said, Richard was the surname of a teacher I had. It's normal and perhaps even bland.Alarie isn't a surname I've ever heard. It sounds almost like the kind of name a fantasy author might make up, but it's real. 667 people.Curie is, as the other answerer mentioned, heavily associated with Marie Curie. If your last name is Curie, anyone who has heard of Marie Curie will ask you if you're related to her.
I know this is a mildly old question, but I disagree with the other commenter. I also disagree with the idea that any names are spelled differently in the US. The US doesn't have homogeneity in terms of name spelling. Beyond that, I had a teacher in high school (In the U.S.) whose surname was Richard- no s. Don't trust Nameberry for name meanings. It's notoriously wrong about most of them and inaccurate/oversimplified regarding others.
Amery sounds like a normal surname to me, as does Amory. As of 2014, there were 317 people in the US with the former and 677 people with the latter.
Auger is slightly less normal than Amery/Amory, but it still sounds fine. There were 5,160 people with it (in 2014, though I won't say that from here on out).
Ethan is more like a first name than a surname. My source says there were no people with it at the time of the survey, but I think that's unlikely.
Fermi is an established surname that's heavily, heavily associated with Enrico Fermi and his discoveries, particularly the Fermi Paradox.
Gavi sounds normal. The stats say 103 people had it in 2014. There isn't much more to say about this one.
Guillaume is also much more common as a first name than a last name. It's French- very heavily so. It's related to the William family of names. 3,363 people were recorded with it.
Hamza is Arabic, as your source claims. It's a pretty normal-sounding Arabic name. 972 people.
You should stray away from websites like Nameberry when discussing Native American names. It was (and is?) pretty common for non-indigenous people to fabricate mildly native-sounding names and claim nonexistent meanings. The most famous case of this is probably the name of the state Ohio. Be especially cautious if the source doesn't mention a specific tribe, as there are about 500 different Native American languages with their own naming traditions. I'd assume Imala was Indian (from India) if I heard it without context, and so it'd be fine on someone of that ancestry, especially since 12,256 people in India were recorded with it in 2014.
As I said, Richard was the surname of a teacher I had. It's normal and perhaps even bland.
Alarie isn't a surname I've ever heard. It sounds almost like the kind of name a fantasy author might make up, but it's real. 667 people.
Curie is, as the other answerer mentioned, heavily associated with Marie Curie. If your last name is Curie, anyone who has heard of Marie Curie will ask you if you're related to her.
FAQs
Examples: Cholmondeley (pronounced “Chumley”), Featherstonehaugh (“Fanshaw”), Marjoribanks (“Marchbanks”), Brougham (“Broom”), and Beauchamp (“Beecham”).
What are some unusual last names? ›
Unusual last names will set people apart from the pack–here are six of most unique ones out there.
- Shufflebottom.
- Biggerstaff.
- Hartshorn.
- Fullilove.
- Clampitt.
- Shellaberger.
The most common family names in English
| rank | England | USA |
|---|
| 1 | Smith | Smith |
| 2 | Jones | Johnson |
| 3 | Williams | Williams |
| 4 | Brown | Brown |
6 more rowsIt can also happen by changing the spelling of a surname over the decades so that the original family name is not the same. There is a list of names that are extinct. It includes Bread, Spinster, Chips, Rummage, Pussett, Temples, Wellbelove, Hatman and Bytheseashore.
What is the #1 last name? ›
The most common surname in the United States is Smith. Actually, the most common surname in just about every English-speaking country is Smith. As you may already suspect, the last name “Smith” refers to the blacksmith trade.
What is the rarest name to have? ›
Edgy Rare Baby Names
- Falco.
- Dray.
- Niobe.
- Hartwell.
- Lazare.
- Megara.
- Bronya.
- Salomi.
More Cute Baby Girl Names
| Name | Meaning |
|---|
| 25. | Bianca | Pure |
| 26. | Calliope | Beautiful voice |
| 27. | Celeste | Heavenly |
| 28. | Dahlia | Valley |
16 more rowsNov 8, 2023
Currently, the most popular White last name in America is Smith, with a total count of 1,732,071 people who have the surname. The surname Smith occurs roughly 828 times per 100,000 people in the U.S.
What is the most popular female name in the world? ›
Mary: Mary has been one of the most popular female first name in many English-speaking countries, largely due to religious influences. John: This first name has been incredibly popular in the Western world, especially in Christian countries, due to its biblical origins (John the Baptist, John the Apostle).
What is the most American female name? ›
300 Most Popular American Female Names
- Mary.
- Patricia.
- Linda.
- Barbara.
- Elizabeth.
- Jennifer.
- Maria.
- Susan.
The oldest English surname on record was actually from East Anglia. Believe it or not, the oldest recorded English name is Hatt. An Anglo-Saxon family with the surname Hatt are mentioned in a Norman transcript, and is identified as a pretty regular name in the county.
What are the classic last names? ›
1 SMITH 2706 2 BROWN 1941 3 WILSON 1708 4 CAMPBELL 1632 5 ROBERTSON 1606 6 THOMSON 1578 7 STEWART 1565 8 ANDERSON 1404 9 SCOTT 1169 10 MURRAY 1113 11 MACDONALD 1056 12 REID 1053 13 TAYLOR 988 14 CLARK 969 15 YOUNG 949 16 WATSON 892 17 WALKER 861 18 MORRISON 853 19 ROSS 840 20 MITCHELL 832 21 PATERSON 814 22 FRASER 797 ...
What English names are mispronounced? ›
The research also found that the top five mispronounced English names are: Anne, James, Lauren, Evelyn and Christian, whilst the top five mispronounced Irish names are: Sean, Saoirse, Siobhan, Ryan, and Liam.
What are the 7 types of English surnames? ›
There are 7 types of British surnames. Which one do you have?
- Place name surnames. ...
- Characteristic surnames. ...
- Occupation surnames. ...
- Geographical surnames. ...
- Patronage surnames. ...
- Patronymic or matronymic. ...
- Estate surnames.
The meanings of other surnames are not as easily apparent, such as Gadling or Gedling (a gossiper), Bugg (uncouth or weird), le Burgulian (the braggart), le Crump (a crooked back), Haine (wretched), Turk (rowdy), Clapp (obese) and Luske (slothful).
Why is Cholmondeley pronounced Chumley? ›
Cholmondeley is 'shol-mon(d)-lay', the French contained D is softened so gradually, the British accent rendered it as it sounds 'Sholm-lay' to 'chumley'.
