Explore the Family Name Aaron
The meaning of Aaron
Jewish, English, Welsh, West Indian, Guyanese, and African (mainly Nigeria): from the Biblical Hebrew personal name Aharon (which was Latinized as Aaron), borne by the first high priest of the Israelites, the brother of Moses (Exodus 4:14). Like Moses, it is probably of Egyptian origin, with a meaning no longer recoverable. In England and Wales, the name comes from the occasional adoption of Aaron as a Christian personal name. In south Wales, for example, where fixed surnames developed much later than in England, it was coined independently as a surname in the 17th–19th centuries, reflecting the enthusiasm for Old Testament personal names among Nonconformists.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Aaron in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Aaron held its popularity between 2000 and 2010. It ranked 2236 in 2000 and slightly dropped to 2241 in 2010, reflecting a minimal change of -0.22%. The count of people with this surname increased by 9.21% from 14904 in 2000 to 16276 in 2010. However, the proportion per 100k people remained steady at 5.52 during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,236 | #2,241 | -0.22% |
| Count | 14,904 | 16,276 | 9.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.52 | 5.52 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Aaron
As for ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data presents an interesting shift over the same period. The largest group, White, saw a slight decrease from 69.85% in 2000 to 66.02% in 2010. The Black community with the surname Aaron slightly increased from 24.76% to 25.61%. Notably, there was a significant increase in the Hispanic subset, rising from 2.28% in 2000 to 4.28% in 2010. Similarly, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races also saw increases, with the former growing from 0.95% to 1.30% and the latter from 1.61% to 2.22%. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Natives with the surname Aaron remained relatively stable, with a minor increase from 0.55% in 2000 to 0.56% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.85% | 66.02% | -5.48% |
| Black | 24.76% | 25.61% | 3.43% |
| Hispanic | 2.28% | 4.28% | 87.72% |
| Two or More Races | 1.61% | 2.22% | 37.89% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.95% | 1.3% | 36.84% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.55% | 0.56% | 1.82% |
Aaron ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Aaron is British & Irish, which comprises 46.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.3%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (12.3%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.6% |
| French & German | 16.3% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 12.3% |
| Other | 24.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Aaron
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Aaron have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 73.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 72.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 72.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 72.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 72.20% |
What Aaron haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Aaron is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-M467, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Baker, Stevenson, English, Lowe, Field, Norman, Reed, Bloom, Stephenson, Parsons.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Aaron surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Aaron have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Aaron" Surname 38.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Aaron" Surname 27.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Aaron" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Aaron" Surname 14.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Aaron?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Aaron are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition