Müller to da Silva: The most common surnames in Switzerland revealed

From Müller to Meier to Schmid, ever wondered what the most common surname is in Switzerland? With almost half a million different Swiss family names recorded across the country in 2025, the official rankings are in.

What are the most common last names in Switzerland?

Müller, the most common Swiss last name for several years, continued to reign unchallenged, with 52.674 residents in Switzerland sharing the common name in 2025. In a not-too-distant second place were the Meiers, with 32.284 people, and the Schmids, with 30.134. 

Family names only became commonly used from around the 15th century, before which people were just called by their first name. Many Swiss surnames stem from jobs for which families were known. For example, Müller means miller in German, Meier comes from estate manager or farmer and Schmids (and also Schmied and Schmidt) often stems from blacksmith.

Regional differences in Swiss surnames

While the top three dominate nationwide, the “diversity of names in Switzerland is enormous,” reports Watson. This variety is found when comparing regional surnames in Switzerland:

• German-speaking Switzerland: Müller (48.697), Meier (30.827) and Schmid (28.028)
• French-speaking Switzerland: da Silva (10.390), Ferreira (7.365) and Pereira (6.814)
• Italian-speaking Switzerland: Bernasconi (2.196), Ferrari (1.321) and Rossi (1.315)
• Romansh-speaking Switzerland: Derungs (229), Caduff (217) and Casanova (188) 

Interestingly, Swiss-originating surnames like Favre, Martin and Müller were scarcely found among the top 20 most common last names in Romandy (French-speaking Switzerland). The rest of the top 20 were surnames of Portuguese origin, reflecting the country’s international community.

Finally, while people named Müller represent just 0,6 percent of the Swiss population, there are municipalities where almost 80 percent of residents can share the same last name. In Rebévelier, Bern, a whopping 79,3 percent of residents (23 of 29) boast the name.

Most common Swiss surnames in 2025

In all, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the most common surnames in Switzerland last year were:

1. Müller (52.674)
2. Meier (32.284)
3. Schmid (30.134)
4. Keller (22.897)
5. Weber (19.956)
6. Schneider (18.938)
7. Huber (17.883)
8. da Silva (17.447)
9. Meyer (17.253)
10. Steiner (17.109)