The barber with a surname a cut above the rest

Anand Singh, better known to locals as Bob the Barber, is proud of his popular Singh surname. Photo / Supplied

He's known locally as Bob the Barber from Birkenhead but this small business owner happens to have the single most popular last name in the country.

According to latest data from the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages in 2019 the most common last name in New Zealand and Auckland was the Sikh surname, Singh.

It was followed by Smith, Kaur, Patel and Williams.

Registrar-general Jeff Montgomery said the emergence of names such as Singh, Kaur and Patel reflected both immigration and religious affiliation trends.

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Anand Prakash Singh, 61, who is also known as Bob, came to New Zealand 34 years ago from Fiji.

He's chuffed the name that originated from a warrior class in India is making waves here.

"Indians like the name. It's like singing a song. It's a hugely popular name in New Zealand, Auckland and around the world as well."

And he's quick to brush off any confusion with so many having the same surname.

"No, no, no. We have a first name and a second name too. Indian names are pretty long," he said.

"Singh is king."

Most common surname by region:

• Northland - Smith

• Auckland - Singh

• Bay of Plenty - Singh

• Waikato - Smith

• Gisborne - Allen, Brown, Kemp, Williams

• Taranaki - Smith

• Hawke's Bay - Singh

• Manawatu-Whanganui - Anderson

• Wellington - Patel

• Nelson - Marshall, Taylor, Smith, Stewart, Thompson

• West Coast - Smith

• Canterbury - Smith

• Otago - Smith

• Southland - Wilson