Explore the Family Name Alexis
The meaning of Alexis
1. French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Alexis of Greek origin, ultimately from Greek alexios ‘helping, defending’. The personal name owed its popularity in the Middle Ages to Saint Alexi(u)s. The historical Saint Alexis is said to have lived in the 4th–5th centuries in Edessa (an early center of Christianity in Syria). His cult was also popular in the Eastern Church, which accounts for the frequency of the Russian personal name Aleksey. 2. American shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of the personal name Alexis (see 1 above), e.g. Alexiadis, a patronymic formed with the suffix -adis, a variant of the classical -ades, and Alexopoulos. 3. Americanized form of cognates of 1 above and their derivatives from other languages, e.g. Italian Alessio and Serbian and Croatian Aleksić (see Aleksic). Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Antoine, Cecile, Jacques, Pierre, Serge, Yves, Andre, Carolle, Ermite, Francois, Gabrielle, Geralde.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Alexis in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Alexis has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, this surname was ranked 6288 but ascended to 5070 in 2010, reflecting an increase of approximately 19.37%. The count of individuals carrying the Alexis surname also saw a sizable increase from 4991 in 2000 to 6915 in 2010 - a surge of 38.55%. The proportion per 100,000 people likewise rose by 26.49%, moving from 1.85 in 2000 to 2.34 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,288 | #5,070 | 19.37% |
| Count | 4,991 | 6,915 | 38.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.85 | 2.34 | 26.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Alexis
The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also reveals shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the surname Alexis between 2000 and 2010. There was a notable increase in individuals identifying as Black (from 68.72% to 75.72%) and Hispanic (from 4.91% to 5.58%). Meanwhile, there was a slight increase within the Asian/Pacific Islander category, rising from 0.60% to 0.97%. In contrast, there were decreases in other ethnic identities. Those identifying as White decreased from 16.35% to 13.55%, those identifying with two or more races dropped from 7.27% to 3.08%, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell from 2.14% to 1.10%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 68.72% | 75.72% | 10.19% |
| White | 16.35% | 13.55% | -17.13% |
| Hispanic | 4.91% | 5.58% | 13.65% |
| Two or More Races | 7.27% | 3.08% | -57.63% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.14% | 1.1% | -48.6% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 0.97% | 61.67% |
Alexis 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 Alexis is Nigerian, which comprises 17.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (15.1%) and French & German (12.1%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, Angolan & Congolese, Indigenous American, and Greek & Balkan.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Nigerian | 17.3% |
| British & Irish | 15.1% |
| French & German | 12.1% |
| Other | 55.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Alexis
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 Alexis have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Haiti.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 27.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 27.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 26.10% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 25.00% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 25.00% |
What Alexis 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 Alexis is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Alexis surname are: J1c, H, L2a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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 Alexis 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.
"Alexis" Surname 52.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Alexis" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Alexis" Surname 45.5%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Alexis" Surname 12.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Alexis?
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 Alexis are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition