Learn to pronounce the 20 most common male names, female names, and last names in the United States. For more common names, see this list. You can also listen to hundreds more common first and last names in the HearNames.com database.
In this lesson, I’ve recorded the pronunciation of the 20 most common names in each category plus a few common nicknames.
How to pronounce the most common male names in the U.S.:
James / Jim
John
Robert / Rob
Michael / Mike
William / Will / Bill
David / Dave
Richard / Rich
Charles / Chuck / Charlie
Joseph / Joe
Thomas / Tom
Christopher / Chris
Daniel / Dan
Paul
Mark
Donald / Don
George
Kenneth / Ken
Steven / Steve
Edward / Ed
Brian
How to pronounce the most common female names in the U.S.:
Mary
Patricia / Pat
Linda
Barbara
Elizabeth / Liz
Jennifer / Jen / Jenny
Maria
Susan
Margaret
Dorothy
Lisa
Nancy
Karen
Betty
Helen
Sandra
Donna
Carol
Ruth
Sharon
How to pronounce the most common last names in the U.S.:
Smith
Johnson
Williams
Jones
Brown
Davis
Miller
Wilson
Moore
Taylor
Anderson
Thomas
Jackson
White
Harris
Martin
Thompson
Garcia
Martinez
Robinson
