Names, Lots of Names

I needed a whole bunch of sample last names for some bogus data for an app I'm working on. Thankfully, we have Google, and of course, this information is just a query away.

I quickly found the Top 1000 most common surnames in the US (as of the 1990 census).

This should be exactly what I need.

Little known fact - Simon is a more common last name than Frank and Clayton. Not to mention Lloyd and Boone. Heck, we just barely beat out Waters.

As a bonus, here's a little PLT-Scheme app I wrote up to grab and fix the case on the names. No claim that it's especially efficient or compact, it just is.

(module name-grabber mzscheme
  (require (lib "url.ss" "net")
           (prefix l: (lib "1.ss" "srfi"))
           (prefix s: (lib "13.ss" "srfi"))
           (planet "sxml.ss" ("lizorkin" "sxml.plt" 1 4))
           (planet "htmlprag.ss" ("neil" "htmlprag.plt" 1 3))
           (lib "26.ss" "srfi"))

  (provide get-names)

  (define (fix-case word)
    (string-append (string-upcase (substring word 0 1)) 
                   (string-downcase (substring word 1))))
  
  (define (get-names)
    (let* ((url (string->url "http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm"))
           (in-port (get-pure-port url))
           (doc (html->sxml in-port)))
      (close-input-port in-port)
      (let ((name-rows ((sxpath '("//table[@style = 'boldtable']/tr")) doc)))
        (l:drop (map (lambda (row)
                     (let ((cols ((sxpath '(// td *text*)) row)))
                       (if (not (null? cols))
                           (fix-case (l:first cols))
                           (void))))
                   name-rows) 1))))
  )

Update: Added a provide clause, thanks Grant!