How Common Are Your Names?

How unusual are your names? I always knew many of my immediate surnames were not overly common, but now I have some evidence--at least when my names are compared to other names in the United States.

Using the database search form at "How Popular is Your Name" on the "Sweetest Sound" on PBS.org, I determined the popularity ranking of the surnames of my four great-grandparents.

• Neill-3651
• Rampley-34381
• Trautvetter-99676
• Sargent-1190
• Ufkes-110472
• Janssen-3100
• Habben-40720
• Goldenstein-43095

Of course some unusual names are difficult to research and some common names are easier to research. The frequency of a surname is only one factor in whether or not an ancestor is a research challenge.