The most common last name among American physicians is no longer "Smith", it's "Patel"

[Hector8]

This is now the most popular last name in medicine.

What does the future hold for the state of the nation, or shall we say, state of the names?

By Sarah-Richelle Lemas, Doximity

If a healthy dose of Valentine’s Day amore has you dreaming of your future offspring, prep your tiny tikes for a future career in medicine by choosing their name wisely. While there’s no way of knowing who the future doctors of America will be, we’ve seen commonalities in our care teams over the past few decades. Just for fun we analyzed the names of all U.S. physicians by first name, last name and the state in which they practice.

Minority Report: Popular last names point to the increase in diversity in medicine over time

Physicians born anytime in the 1930s - 1950s are more likely to have the surname Smith, but starting in the 1960s the U.S. saw an uptick in diversity, and in both the 1970s and 1980s, Patel topped this list as the most common last name among all physicians. Patel is now officially the last name most frequently preceded by “Dr.”

Rank	1930‑39	1940‑49	1950‑59	1960‑69	1970‑79	1980‑89
1	Smith	Smith	Smith	Lee	Patel	Patel
2	Lee	Lee	Johnson	Smith	Lee	Shah
3	Miller	Miller	Miller	Johnson	Kim	Lee
4	Johnson	Johnson	Brown	Patel	Smith	Smith
5	Kim	Patel	Willams	Kim	Nguyen	Nguyen

This trend is likely to continue. Since the 1980s, the number of Asian American med school graduates has increased from almost none to making up approximately a fifth of all graduates (source: AAMC Data Warehouse). According to the 2014 census, foreign born doctors now make up approximately 25 percent of all physicians practicing in the U.S.

Most popular first names, nationwide (doctors born in 1930s-1990s):

Rank	Men	Women
1	John	Jennifer
2	Michael	Elizabeth
3	David	Mary
4	Robert	Susan
5	James	Sarah
6	William	Lisa
7	Richard	Laura
8	Thomas	Karen
9	Mark	Amy
10	Joseph	Maria

Dr. John will see you in the south

The leading male physician name over the past 60 years has been John, topping the list in 25 states, including most southeastern states. John was consistently in the first three slots until the 1980s, when it dropped to seventh place. David was the overall runner up, reigning in 11 states. David’s popularity peaked in the 1950s and 1960s with the number one spot, and was later dethroned by Michael and Matthew in the 70s and 80s.

Paging Dr. Jenny from all the blocks

When it comes to female physician names, Jennifer was far and above the most popular - the moniker won out in 36 states. This could correlate to the name’s overall surge in popularity in the 70s and 80s, when it was also the most popular U.S. baby name. Around this time the nation also saw an increase in female physicians joining the field, with their numbers increasing from 25,000 in 1970 to more than 235,000 in 2004 (source: Federation of State Medical Boards 2015).

What’s in a name?

What does the future hold for the state of the nation, or shall we say, state of the names? While a zany alias like Blue Ivy or Apple may garner press for today’s stars and their babies, a more common name may be the safer pick for the next generation of doctors in your family. If the past is any indication, the most common doctor names have traditionally been aligned with the census - take a look at our the comparison below.

1930‑39		1940‑49		1950‑59
Physicians	Census	Physicians	Census	Physicians	Census
Mary	Mary	Mary	Mary	Susan	Mary
Robert	Robert	John	James	David	James

 

1960‑69		1970‑79		1980‑89
Physicians	Census	Physicians	Census	Physicians	Census
Lisa	Lisa	Jennifer	Jennifer	Jennifer	Jennifer
David	Michael	Michael	Michael	Michael	Michael

Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/jx78va/til_that_the_most_common_last_name_among_american/ 

[Spartan]

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

[Anta Assamey]

2 minutes ago, Spartan said:

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

Its possible ...

[Hector8]

2 minutes ago, Spartan said:

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

middle name kada..... pedda impact em create cheyaleru 

C batch aithe papam ..... oka telugu vallaki tappa evariki telidu

[Hector8]

Just now, Anta Assamey said:

Its possible ...

how

[Anta Assamey]

Just now, Hector8 said:

how

Same like Patel ... possibility undi antunna... Nuvvu Rao/naidu/Chow etc etc ani unte adi kuda possible anetodini ...

[KhalilGibran]

[tacobell fan]

6 minutes ago, Spartan said:

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

[KhalilGibran]

make america india again

[Hector8]

1 minute ago, Anta Assamey said:

Same like Patel ... possibility undi antunna... Nuvvu Rao/naidu/Chow etc etc ani unte adi kuda possible anetodini ...

already reddy & neumanna unkul start chesadu antava

[JambaKrantu]

8 minutes ago, Spartan said:

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

IT lo possible

[LadiesTailor]

21 minutes ago, Spartan said:

   konnalu agite.... VP positions in all industries..Reddy ani survey release chestaremo.

lucky ga adi surname kaadu. 

Next gen kids ki last name lo add chestunnaru... mee korika tiondalro teeruthundi poooo 😜

[argadorn]

Next 10 years lo new doctors andharu indians ye untaru ... Mana valla stamp mamuluga undadhu Anni industry lo 2040 ki Indian americans matram ye industry lo ayina top position lo untaru ...manamu chadhuve chadhuvu magging and talent kuda manallo ruddutharu...kids ekada elaga us lo undatam different but Mana vallu change chestharu dimensions 

[Picheshwar]

So.. girl pudite jennifer anna maata.

Nice

[LadiesTailor]

29 minutes ago, argadorn said:

Next 10 years lo new doctors andharu indians ye untaru ... Mana valla stamp mamuluga undadhu Anni industry lo 2040 ki Indian americans matram ye industry lo ayina top position lo untaru ...manamu chadhuve chadhuvu magging and talent kuda manallo ruddutharu...kids ekada elaga us lo undatam different but Mana vallu change chestharu dimensions 

Anduke tatha GC lu levu H1 lu lepeddam annadu 😜