Explore the Family Name Agnew
The meaning of Agnew
1. Scottish and English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Agneaux in La Manche, France. A family called Agnew was granted the hereditary post of sheriff of Galloway by King David II (1329–71). 2. English (of Norman origin): from Anglo-Norman French aignel, aignau ‘lamb’ (Old French agneau, agnelle). 3. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gnímh ‘descendant of Gníomh’, a byname meaning ‘action’ or ‘activity’. The Ó Gnímhs were hereditary poets to a branch of the O’Neills; in this family the traditional pronunciation is with the stress on the second syllable. 4. American shortened and altered form of Greek Anagnostopoulos. History: The father of Spiro Theodore Agnew, the 39th Vice President of the US from 1969 to 1973, was a Greek immigrant who shortened his name from Anagnostopoulos.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Agnew in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Agnew saw a slight decrease in rank between 2000 and 2010, moving from 3,398 to 3,602. However, the actual count of individuals with the Agnew surname increased by 2.2 percent over the same period, from 9,644 to 9,856. This resulted in a decrease in proportion per 100,000 people by 6.7 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,398 | #3,602 | -6% |
| Count | 9,644 | 9,856 | 2.2% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.58 | 3.34 | -6.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Agnew
The ethnic identity associated with the Agnew surname also showed changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those claiming two or more races considerably increased, by around 48.65 percent and 50.94 percent respectively. The largest ethnicity group, white, experienced a minor decline of 3.38 percent, but still represented the majority at 68.08 percent in 2010. The Hispanic population grew by nearly 40 percent, while the Black population saw a modest increase of 3.66 percent. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category, however, dropped by 35.85 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 70.46% | 68.08% | -3.38% |
| Black | 25.43% | 26.36% | 3.66% |
| Two or More Races | 1.59% | 2.4% | 50.94% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 2.26% | 38.65% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.55% | 48.65% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.53% | 0.34% | -35.85% |
Agnew 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 Agnew is British & Irish, which comprises 57.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.7%) and Eastern European (4.5%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Italian, Scandinavian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.8% |
| French & German | 19.7% |
| Eastern European | 4.5% |
| Other | 18.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Agnew
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 Agnew have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
What Agnew 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 Agnew is I-Y4752, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Y4752 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-M222 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Laughlin, Ferguson, Malone, Mccullough, Mcculloch, Carson, Henry, Mckinney, Gillespie, Murray.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Agnew surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your 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 Agnew 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.
"Agnew" Surname 39.2%
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.
"Agnew" Surname 25.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Agnew" Surname 18.1%
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.
"Agnew" Surname 16.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Agnew?
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 Agnew are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition