Cayman’s 10 most common surnames and the stories behind them
Walk down any street in Cayman and you’re bound to meet an Ebanks, a Bodden or a Smith. These surnames are threads woven through the fabric of local history, etched into road signs, laws and family stories passed down for generations.
But where did they come from? Who were the first Boddens? How did Ebanks become Cayman’s most ubiquitous surname? And what about the Jacksons and the Whittakers?
The Compass researched Cayman’s most common surnames, using data from Surnam.es and historical records such as A Brief History of the Cayman Islands by David Wells, and unearthed the stories behind some of the most popular names that have shaped these islands for centuries. For a more complete summary of the story, please see the below link:
Published on: Aug 14, 2025 01:26 PM