Which surname is the most common in the world?

Because China has more than 1.4 billion people and a relatively small pool of family names, its top surnames dwarf all others. Official Chinese data from 2020 showed Wang and Li each held by around 100 million people, with Zhang close behind at about 95 million. Together the most common 100 Chinese surnames cover the large majority of the population. Nguyen is another giant, carried by an estimated 38 percent of Vietnamese people. In English-speaking countries, Smith is the most common surname, borne by about 2.4 million Americans in the 2010 census.