Explore the Family Name Abernathy
The meaning of Abernathy
Scottish: habitational name from Abernethy in southeastern Perthshire. The placename is of Pictish origin, meaning ‘mouth of the river Nethy’. History: This was the name of a cadet branch of MacDuff earls of Fife and one of the surnames of the Scots who settled in northern Ireland during the ‘plantation’ in the 17th century, and it was brought to the US as the name of a Southern plantation owner (in a different sense of the word ‘plantation’).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Abernathy in the United States?
The Abernathy surname ranked 2,051 in popularity in the year 2000 based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. However, a decade later, in 2010, it dropped to 2,216, showcasing a decline of 8.04%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Abernathy surname increased slightly from 16,194 in 2000 to 16,450 in 2010, an increase of 1.58%. Likewise, the proportion of people named Abernathy per 100,000 decreased by 7.0% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,051 | #2,216 | -8.04% |
| Count | 16,194 | 16,450 | 1.58% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6 | 5.58 | -7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Abernathy
When looking at the ethnicity of those bearing the Abernathy surname according to Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority identified as White, though this percentage decreased slightly from 80.03% in 2000 to 78.42% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Black remained relatively stable at around 16%. There was an increase observed among those identifying as Hispanic and those identifying as belonging to two or more races, with rises of 85.47% and 52.63% respectively. However, the percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander declined by 12.20%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a modest increase of 15.69% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.03% | 78.42% | -2.01% |
| Black | 16.55% | 16.43% | -0.73% |
| Hispanic | 1.17% | 2.17% | 85.47% |
| Two or More Races | 1.33% | 2.03% | 52.63% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.51% | 0.59% | 15.69% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.36% | -12.2% |
Abernathy 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 Abernathy is British & Irish, which comprises 57.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.5%) and Italian (2.7%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.1% |
| French & German | 23.5% |
| Italian | 2.7% |
| Other | 16.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Abernathy
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 Abernathy have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
What Abernathy 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 Abernathy is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mayfield, Thacker, Northcutt, Pauley, Larue, Fairchild, Elam, Estes, Griswold, Couture.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Abernathy surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Abernathy 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.
"Abernathy" Surname 40.6%
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.
"Abernathy" Surname 25.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Abernathy" Surname 23.8%
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.
"Abernathy" Surname 21.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Abernathy?
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 Abernathy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition