Humanities History & Culture 20 Common Australian Surnames and Their Meanings Share Flipboard Email Print History & Culture Family History & Genealogy Surname Meanings & Origins Tips & Tutorials Famous Family Trees Vital Records American History African American History African History Ancient History & Culture Asian History European History Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More by Kimberly Powell Kimberly Powell, professional genealogist, author and educator, is the author of The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy. Updated September 19, 2018 Smith, Jones, Williams... Are you one of the millions of Australians with one of these top common last names from Australia? The following list of the most commonly occurring surnames in Australia includes details on each name's origin and meaning. It's interesting to note that the World Names Public Profile list of common Australian surnames, compiled primarily from telephone directories and electoral registers, is the first time that an Asian name—Nguyen—appears among the top 10 surnames in Australia. * FPM = Frequency Per Million 01 of 20 SMITH Steve Allen/Stockbyte/Getty Images FPM: 12,254.2Smith is an occupational surname for a man who works with metal (smith or blacksmith), one of the earliest jobs for which specialist skills were required. It is a craft that was practiced in all countries, making the surname and its derivations the most common of all surnames around the world. 02 of 20 JONES Ronnie Kaufman / Larry Hirshowitz/Getty Images FPM: A patronymic name meaning "son of John (God has favored or gift of God)." 03 of 20 WILLIAMS Looking Glass/Getty Images FPM: The most common origin of the Williams surname is patronymic, meaning "son of William," but there are also others. 04 of 20 BROWN Getty / Deux FPM: A descriptive surname meaning "brown haired" or "brown skinned." 05 of 20 WILSON Getty / Uwe Krejci FPM: 5,037.98An English or Scottish surname meaning "son of Will," a nickname for William. 06 of 20 TAYLOR Getty / Rimagine Group Limited FPM: 4,867.51An English occupational name for a tailor, from Old French tailleur for "tailor" which comes from the Latin taliare, meaning "to cut." 07 of 20 NGUYEN Getty / Jacques LOIC FPM: 3,798.06This is the most common surname in Vietnam, but is actually of Chinese origin, meaning "musical instrument." 08 of 20 JOHNSON Monashee Alonso / Getty Images FPM: 3,571.02An English patronymic surname meaning "son of John (gift of God)." 09 of 20 MARTIN Getty / Cristian Baitg FPM: 3,314.21Patronymic surname taken from the ancient Latin given name Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war. 10 of 20 WHITE Getty / LWA FPM: 3,304.37Generally a surname originally used to describe someone with very light hair or complexion. 11 of 20 ANDERSON Getty / Matt Carr FPM: 3,298.29As it sounds, Anderson is generally a patronymic surname meaning "son of Andrew." 12 of 20 WALKER Getty / Karina Mansfield FPM: An occupational surname for a fuller, or person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. 13 of 20 THOMPSON Getty / James Woodson FPM: Son of the man known as Thom, Thomp, Thompkin, or other diminutive form of Thomas, a given name meaning "twin." 14 of 20 THOMAS Getty / Annmarie Young Photography FPM: Derived from a popular medieval first name, THOMAS comes from an Aramaic term for "twin." 15 of 20 LEE Getty / Mark Gerum FPM: Lee is a surname with many possible meanings and origins. Often it was a name given to one who lived in or near a "laye," a Middle English term meaning 'clearing in the woods.' 16 of 20 HARRIS Getty / Pigeon Productions SA FPM: "Son of Harry," a given name derived from Henry and meaning "home ruler." 17 of 20 RYAN Getty / Adriana Varela Photography FPM: An Irish Gaelic surname meaning "little king," from the old gaelic word "righ" and the old Irish diminutive of "an." 18 of 20 ROBINSON selimaksan / Getty Images FPM: The most likely origin of this surname is "son of Robin," although it may also derive from the Polish word "rabin," meaning rabbi. 19 of 20 KELLY Getty / mikkelwilliam FPM: A Gaelic name meaning warrior or war. Also, possibly an adaptation of the surname O'Kelly, meaning descendant of Ceallach (bright-headed). 20 of 20 KING Getty / Joelle Icard FPM: From the Old English "cyning," originally meaning "tribal leader," this nickname was commonly bestowed on a man who carried himself like royalty, or who played the part of the king in a medieval pageant. Continue Reading