Smith, Johnson, and Williams - America's Most Common Last Names All In One Quiz

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It goes Smith, Johnson, and Williams. In that order. The most common last names in the U.S. Each of them currently has more than 1.5 million people sharing that name, and of course that includes some of America's most famous people of all-time. From Will Smith to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to Venus Williams, there are a lot of celebrities to choose from. 

In this quiz, we'll ask you questions about some of these celebrities with these last names. The only thing they have in common - other than their celebrity - is the totally generic nature of their surnames. But this quiz is anything but generic. Let's go!


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Popular Last Names Quiz Questions

20 Questions · 66 Plays · No comments

Question 1

Let's start with Will Smith. In 1992, he and DJ Jazzy Jeff became the first rap artists to win a Grammy Award. Name the song for which they took home the statue.

  • A
    "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson"
  • B
    "Parents Just Don't Understand"
  • C
    "Summertime"
  • D
    "Ring My Bell"

Question 2

Moving on to a Johnson, as in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Truly a Dwayne of all trades, on what sitcom did he once play his own father, Rocky Johnson?

  • A
    The Office
  • B
    Third Rock from The Sun
  • C
    30 Rock
  • D
    That '70s Show

Question 3

Here's a question about a Williams. Two of them, actually. We all know that Serena is the little sister of Venus, but about how many months separate their two birthdays?

  • A
    35 months
  • B
    15 months
  • C
    5 months
  • D
    25 months

Question 4

Known as the "punk poet laureate" for songs like "Because the Night," musician Patti Smith lived with and shared a complicated relationship with what famed artist?

  • A
    Jasper Johns
  • B
    Robert Mapplethorpe
  • C
    Andy Warhol
  • D
    David Hockney

Question 5

Our 36th president had the last name Johnson - Lyndon B. to be exact. Which of these is NOT true about Lyndon B. Johnson?

  • A
    He was second only to Lincoln in presidential height
  • B
    He had a cat named Baines at the White House
  • C
    He was a Congressman, Senate Majority Leader, VP, and President
  • D
    He was born and raised in Texas

Question 6

You can't talk Williams without Robin Williams. Forming a lifelong bond with the comedian when they met years earlier, what animal visibly mourned Robin Williams' death when she learned about it in 2014?

  • A
    Grumpy Cat
  • B
    Bo Obama
  • C
    Koko the Gorilla
  • D
    American Pharoah (the horse)

Question 7

You don't get more American sounding than Jimmie Johnson. A seven-time NASCAR champion, Johnson drives what car for Hendrick Motorsports?

  • A
    Camaro
  • B
    Mustang
  • C
    Tesla Model 3
  • D
    Corvette

Question 8

Sometimes Smiths are created, not born. Which of the following Smith-lebrities was born Shaffer Chimere Smith?

  • A
    Eminem
  • B
    50 Cent
  • C
    Nas
  • D
    Ne-Yo

Question 9

Believe it or not, the most Oscar-nominated person alive is a Williams. Which of the following movies was NOT scored by the legendary composer John Williams?

  • A
    Gladiator
  • B
    Schindler's List
  • C
    E.T., The Extra Terrestrial
  • D
    Jurassic Park

Question 10

Gymnast Shawn Johnson made history when she won silver and her teammate Nastia Liukin won gold in the all-around competition at which of the following Olympic games?

  • A
    2004, Athens
  • B
    2010, Vancouver
  • C
    2012, London
  • D
    2008, Beijing

Question 11

Before his untimely death in 2003, Elliott Smith was the master of dreamy downbeat emo music. What 1990s movie soundtrack brought Smith to prominence with the song "Miss Misery"?

  • A
    Ever After
  • B
    Twister
  • C
    William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
  • D
    Good Will Hunting

Question 12

Don't worry, we didn't forget about the Johnson named Magic. Born with the name Earvin, Johnson earned his famous nickname when he only 15 playing for Everett High School in what U.S. city?

  • A
    Baltimore, Maryland
  • B
    Gary, Indiana
  • C
    Sacramento, California
  • D
    Lansing, Michigan

Question 13

Breaking news: this next question is about Brian Williams. In an otherwise storied career, Williams was suspended from NBC Nightly News in 2015 for "misrepresenting events" that had previously occurred when he was covering what?

  • A
    Hurricane Katrina
  • B
    The shooting of Cedric the Lion
  • C
    Iraq War
  • D
    The death of Michael Jackson

Question 14

There's a college named Williams, and also one named Smith, named for its founder Sophia Smith. As a liberal arts school for women, Smith is the largest in a group of school called The Seven Sisters. Which school is NOT a sister to Smith?

  • A
    Wellesley College
  • B
    Bryn Mawr College
  • C
    Barnard College
  • D
    College of William & Mary

Question 15

Following the footsteps of fellow '80s actor Rick Springfield, Miami Vice star Don Johnson had some hit records. Which of these songs was a top 5 hit for him in 1986?

  • A
    Affair of the Heart
  • B
    All I Need
  • C
    You Belong to the City
  • D
    Heartbeat

Question 16

When it comes to gossip, nobody cornered the market like Liz Smith, becoming the only columnist ever to have her column printed in three major New York City papers at once. Which paper was she NOT published in?

  • A
    The Daily News
  • B
    New York Post
  • C
    Newsday
  • D
    New York Observer

Question 17

Let's go old-school Williams. As a Puritan minister, theologian, and author, there was little that the 17th-century figure Roger Williams didn't do, including founding a state. Name the colony that was created out of the plantations he established.

  • A
    Rhode Island
  • B
    Massachusetts
  • C
    Delaware
  • D
    Connecticut

Question 18

In the 1990s, no clothing line symbolized "self-expression" like Betsey Johnson. What singer famously wore a Betsey Johnson dress in her music video for "Stay (I Missed You)"?

  • A
    Cyndi Lauper
  • B
    Lil' Kim
  • C
    Lisa Loeb
  • D
    Celine Dion

Question 19

Hall-of-Fame running back Emmitt Smith was part of a storied Dallas Cowboys trio called "The Triplets", along with Troy Aikman and what receiver?

  • A
    Tony Hill
  • B
    Bob Hayes
  • C
    Dez Bryant
  • D
    Michael Irvin

Question 20

Just a year after becoming the first African-American Miss America 1984, Vanessa Williams had to resign her position and turn over her crown. Why?

  • A
    Turns out she cheated to win
  • B
    She kept missing appearances
  • C
    She was born overseas
  • D
    Nude photos of her came out

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