David Letterman made Top Ten Lists popular on his late-night talk show. He and his writing staff came up with more than 4,000 of them over the duration of his TV hosting career. Three book collections of them were published and the concept was widely copied and parodied across the pop culture landscape. So of course I came up with some of my own. Here are a dozen arcane lists.

 

Shakespeare’s Most Commonly Produced Plays

10. The Merchant of Venice

9. The Tempest

8. Much Ado About Nothing

7. Macbeth

6. Hamlet

5. Taming of the Shrew

4. As You Like It

3. Twelfth Night

2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

1. Romeo and Juliet

 

Words with the Most Number of Meanings in the Oxford English Dictionary

10. Strike

9. Fall

8. Put

7. Turn

6. Get

5. Stand

4. Take

3. Go

2. Run

1. Set

 

Most Common Street Names in the U.S.A.

10. Maple

9. Washington

8. Seventh

7. Sixth

6. First

5. Fifth

4. Fourth

3. Third

2. Park

1. Second

 

Most Common City Names in the U.S.A.

10. New Hope

9. Bethel

8. Riverside

7. Mount Pleasant

6. Centerville

5. Pleasant Hill

4. Five Points

3. Oak Grove

2. Fairview

1. Midway

 

Largest Native American Tribes

10. Creek

9. Lumbee

8. Iroquois

7. Apache

6. Pueblo

5. Choctaw

4. Sioux

3. Chippewa

2. Navajo

1. Cherokee

 

Most Common Reasons for Arrest in the U.S.A.

10. Gun Possession

9. Vandalism

8. Burglary

7. Fraud

6. Aggravated Assault

5. Public Inebriation

4. Disorderly Conduct

3. Larceny

2. Domestic Abuse

1. Drunk Driving

 

Most Common Surnames in the U.S.A.

10. Wilson

9. Anderson

8. Martin

7. Davis

6. Miller

5. Jones

4. Brown

3. Willliams

2. Johnson

1. Smith

 

Most Common Phobias in the U.S.A

10. Cardiophobia (heat disease)

9. Necrophobia (death)

8. Brontophobia (thunderstorms)

7. Carcinomaphobia (cancer)

6. Acrophobia (heights)

5. Claustophobia (confined spaces)

4. Agoraphobia (open spaces)

3. Aviatophobia (airplanes)

2. Anthrophobia (social situations)

1. Arachnephobia (spiders)

 

Most Common Trees in the U.S.A.

10. Boxelder

9. Sycamore

8. Red Cedar

7. Red Mulberry

6. Black Cheer

5. Silver Maple

4. Black Willow

3. Cottonwood

2. Green Ash

1. Ponderosa Pine

 

Largest Crop Production in the World

10. Sweet Potatoes

9. Cassava

8. Soybeans

7. Potatoes

6. Sugar Beet

5. Rice

4. Corn

3. Rice

2. Wheat

1. Sugar Cane

 

Largest Fruit Production in the World

10. Oranges

9. Peaches and Nectarines

8. Pineapple

7. Pears

6. Mangoes

5. Plantains

4. Coconuts

3. Apples

2. Bananas

1. Grapes

 

Most Popular Duty-Free Products Purchased

10. Gems/Pearls

9. Chocolates

8. Leather Goods

7. Fashion Accessories

6. Men’s Fragrances

5. Cognac

4. Cosmetics

3. Scotch Whiskey

2. Women’s Fragrances

1. Cigarettes