In 2007 CBS News in Canada published a list of the top ten most common Canadian surnames. They compiled this list by searching through telephone directories that were compiled by a company called infoUSA. This is an unscientific study, and it does not take into account anyone who did not happen to have a telephone number attached to their surname in that year. But, it does give a general idea of what the top ten most common Canadian surnames might be.
According to this study, the most common Canadian surname is Li. This name has Chinese origin. It might mean “minister”. Gao Yao was a famous minister in the 23rd century B.C. His descendants adopted Li as part of their surname. In the 12th century B. C., the Li Clan displeased the ruler, and fled. They would have starved to death, if not for a fruit called “mu zi”. When you combine the Chinese characters for “mu” and “zi”, it gives you the word for plum, which was pronounced “Li”. The clan changed their name to the Chinese character for plum, and Li was passed down as a surname to descendants.
Number two is Smith, a surname popular in several countries. This name refers to the job of blacksmith. Number three is Lam. This might be a variant of either the Chinese surname Lin, which means “forest”, or the Chinese surname Lan, which may refer to a flower. Number four is Martin. This name derives from the Latin first name “Martinus”, which refers to the Roman god of fertility and war, who was named Mars.
Number five is Brown. This comes from the Old English or Old French word “brun”. It refers to a person with brown hair, a brown complexion, or who wears brown clothing. Number six is Roy. It comes from the Old French word “rey”, which means “king”. It can also refer to a person who lives in a kingly fashion. Number seven is Tremblay. This name refers to people who lived near a group of Aspen trees.
Number eight is Lee, (not to be confused with Li, which is the most common Canadian surname). This name comes from the Old English word “lea”, and refers to a person who lives near a meadow, or other type of arable land. Number nine is Gagnon. This name derives from the Old French word “gagnon” which meant “guard dog”. This surname might be used as a nickname for a man who is especially aggressive. Number ten is Wilson, which is a patronymic name that means “son of Will”. It also may come from the first name Wilson, which was very common in medieval times.
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