Top Ten Television Surnames

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

With all the last names out there, why repeat? Yes, seeing "Smith" or "Jones" make multiple appearances makes sense. And I didn't come up with any rare repeated surnames... but I find it really amusing that the most popular name I found was "Cooper," a surname of which I've only ever met one real-life person sharing. Anyway, I thought this was a neat concept to explore, and please let me know if I'm not thinking of some characters (because we know there's a lot of "popular" shows I don't watch at all).

10. Smith (American Dad, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The A-Team)
9. Malone (Cheers, Beverly Hills, 90210, The Office)
8. Jones (Simpsons, Degrassi: The Next Generation, and Sex and the City)
7. Wilson (Dennis the Menace, House, Home Improvement)
6. Green(e) (Friends, ER, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Facts of Life)
5. Carter (ER, Edison, Eureka, Stargate SG-1)
4. Taylor (Beverly Hills, 90210, Home Improvement, Friday Night Lights, The Andy Griffith Show, Queer as Folk)
3. Chase (Entourage, My So-Called Life, Boston Legal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, House)
2. Brown (Murphy Brown, Family Guy/The Cleveland Show, Everwood, The Unit, Peanuts)
1. Cooper (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Twin Peaks, Torchwood, Angel, The O.C.)

one more surname featured at least three times: Morgan (Angel, Dexter, The Office)

Other Mentionables: well, the families that spurred the creation of this list were the Tanners (Full House and ALF), but then I couldn't come up with any others. Other "doubles" include the Warners (Facts of Life and Yes, Dear), Adlers (Will & Grace and South Park), Harpers (Mama's Family and Two and a Half Men), Burns (Simpsons and M*A*S*H), Sinclairs (Dinosaurs and Degrassi: The Next Generation), Skinners (The X-Files and The Simpsons), Camerons (House and Degrassi: The Next Generation) and For(e)mans (House and That 70s Show).

...I find it particularly interesting that "Cameron," "Foreman," "Wilson," and "Chase" all made this post... and are all found on House, MD...