DQNews Archived Article

Homebuyers named Smith and Jones

by Real Estate Analyst John Karevoll
March, 1997

La Jolla, CA.— Nationwide, a total of 11,380 people named Smith purchased a home last year, followed by 9,210 Johnsons, 6,720 Browns, 6,310 Jones and 6,230 Williams, according to a real estate information service.

The Smiths paid a median $110,000, as did the Johnsons. The Browns paid a median $111,000, the Jones $108,000 and the Williams $106,000 (see chart) according to DataQuick Information Systems.

Surname	Count	$Median
Smith	11,380	$110,000
Johnson	9,210	$110,000
Brown	6,720	$111,000
Jones	6,310	$108,000
Williams	6,230	$106,000
Miller	5,870	$117,000
Garcia	4,950	$100,000
Davis	4,760	$108,000
Rodriguez	4,670	$100,000
Lee	4,420	$142,000

Source: DataQuick

"Generating lists like this from our database may seem a bit frivolous, but when you dip deeper into the well, interesting demographic patterns emerge. Last year, for example, hispanic names became more common, especially in western states," said Donald L. Cohn, DataQuick's CEO and founder.

A total of 3,350 Garcias bought homes in 1991, making it the country's eleventh most common name. Last year 4,950 Garcias bought homes, making it the seventh most common last name. Garcia was the most common homebuyer name in California last year.

DataQuick monitors real estate activity nationwide, and provides information to consumers, lending institutions, title companies and industry analysts.

There are normal regional differences to median home prices by last name. The median price paid for a home by someone named Smith was $65,000 in Oklahoma, while it was $99,000 in Georgia, $123,000 in New Jersey and $152,000 in California.

While ethnic differences can be hard to track, Asian names account for much of the country's high-end home buying. The highest median price by surnames with more than 500 sales last year was Wang at $217,000, followed by Chang with $215,000 and Chen with $213,000, DataQuick reported.

Source: DataQuick Information Systems

Media Inquiries: John Karevoll (909)867-9534

Copyright © 1997 DataQuick Information Systems.
All rights reserved.

---