From the Mayflower to the First Census: Which Pilgrim Surnames Endured?
As the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of Independence on July 4, 2026, it is a fitting moment to look even further back, to the names that appeared in America long before the nation itself existed.
More than 150 years before the Declaration of Independence, a small group of passengers arrived on the shores of New England aboard the Mayflower. In a previous article, we explored the surnames recorded in the first U.S. Federal Census of 1790 and the families who laid the groundwork for the new nation. In this article, we’ll travel even further back in time and examine how many of those early American surnames can be traced to one of the most famous voyages in colonial history.
Key points: what Mayflower surnames reveal about early American families
- Only 7 surnames carried by Mayflower passengers in 1620 remained common enough to rank among the most frequent surnames recorded in the 1790 U.S. Census, nearly 170 years later.
- These enduring names illustrate the power of early settlement and demographic timing, rather than influence or status, in shaping long-term surname frequency.
- Most Mayflower surnames did not persist at the national level, highlighting how population growth and diversification reshaped the early United States.
- Together, the Mayflower passenger list and the 1790 census offer a rare, data-driven view of how a small group of early settlers left a measurable imprint on the nation’s early population.
The surnames aboard the Mayflower
In 1620, the Mayflower carried 102 passengers, including English Separatists seeking religious autonomy and others, often referred to as “Strangers,” who were motivated primarily by economic opportunity.
Together, these passengers represented approximately 52 distinct surnames, reflecting a small but determined group whose descendants would help shape early New England society. At the time, there was no way to know which of these family names would persist across generations and which would gradually fade from prominence as the population expanded.
A 170-year test of endurance
By the time of the 1790 U.S. Census, nearly 170 years had passed since the Mayflower’s voyage. The population of the United States had grown dramatically due to natural population growth, internal migration, and continued immigration.
When the surnames of Mayflower passengers are compared with the most common surnames recorded in the 1790 census, a striking pattern emerges. Only 7 surnames appear in both lists, surviving long enough and in sufficient numbers to rank among the country’s most frequent family names.
These surnames form a direct bridge between one of the earliest English settlements and the population of the early American republic. They also appear among the most common family names identified in the 1790 census, explored in more detail in our earlier analysis of America’s founding family surnames.
Mayflower surnames among America’s founding families
The following surnames trace a documented line from Mayflower passengers to the most common surnames recorded in the 1790 census:
- Brown — ranked 2nd in 1790
A spelling variant of Browne, linked to Mayflower passenger Peter Browne. - Clark — ranked 6th in 1790
A variant of Clarke, associated with Richard Clarke. - Williams — ranked 7th in 1790
Linked to Mayflower passenger Thomas Williams. - Moore — ranked 10th in 1790
A variant of More, associated with Richard More and his siblings Ellen, Jasper, and Mary More. - White — ranked 11th in 1790
Associated with William White, his wife Susanna, and their children Resolved and Peregrine White, who was born aboard the Mayflower. - Thompson — ranked 13th in 1790
Linked to Mayflower passenger Edward Thompson. - Martin — ranked 20th in 1790
Associated with Christopher Martin and his wife Mary (Prower) Martin.
Why did these surnames persist?
The endurance of these surnames does not suggest that Mayflower passengers were more influential or more numerous than other early settlers. Instead, it reflects the combined effects of early arrival, settlement patterns, and demographic timing.
Families bearing these surnames were present in New England from the earliest years of English settlement. Over generations, natural population growth allowed some of these names to expand steadily, eventually placing them among the most common surnames in the early United States.
As we explored in our comparison of surnames from 1790 and 2010, early demographic timing can have long-lasting effects on surname frequency, even as the population grows and diversifies. Later waves of immigration reshaped the country’s surname landscape, but they did so alongside names that already had a substantial numerical foundation.
At the same time, most Mayflower surnames did not make this transition. Many remained regionally concentrated, changed spelling, or declined in relative frequency as the population expanded and diversified.
A small group, a lasting imprint
Seen in context, the overlap between Mayflower surnames and the most common surnames of 1790 is modest but meaningful. Out of dozens of passenger surnames, only a handful endured at the national level. Their presence serves as a reminder that America’s population history was shaped not by singular events alone, but by centuries of growth, movement, and change.
Does your family carry one of these enduring surnames, or another name rooted in America’s earliest records? Exploring historical collections, census data, and family trees can reveal how your family’s story fits into the broader history of the nation.
Start your family tree on MyHeritage today and discover where your family’s journey begins.
