# Chateau de la Tobler

## Monday, August 06, 2007

### Presidential last names

Quick, right off the top of your head, what are some of the most common last names in the United States?
Okay, I looked it up, so it's not off the top of my head. But here are the top ten from the 1990 census:
Smith (hi, Telima, Tyler, Katy, and fetus!)
Johnson
Williams
Jones
Brown
Davis
Miller
Wilson
Moore
Taylor
(Ross is number 80. Campbell (isn't that your maiden name, Amy?) is number 46. Tobler, Roy, Pace, Willis, Pendleton, and Maxwell aren't in the top 100.)
Anyway, the point (inasmuch as this post has a point) is, that out of those names, we've had a U.S. president named Johnson (Lyndon B., #36), one named Wilson (Woodrow, #28), and one named Taylor (Zachary, #12). Thirty percent of the top ten American names are represented in the U.S. Presidency.
If you want to up this percentage, you'll have to vote for/support one of the third party candidate, as all the Democrats and Republicans for 2008 are distressing less-commonly named. Even in the third parties, pickings are slim: Of the 14 listed, only Elaine Brown of the Green Party (hee, hee, Brown of the Green) counts. Although I'm sort of partial to Michael Moriarty of the Libertarian party. He's got a cool name.
This is quite possibly the most random blog post for the Chateau ever. Help!

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