Explore the Family Name Angel
The meaning of Angel
1. Spanish (Ángel) and Slovenian: from local equivalents of the Latin personal name Angelus, from angelus, Greek angelos ‘messenger, angel’. In early Christian folk belief, angels were so named because they were considered to be messengers sent from God. Compare Spanish Del Angel. 2. English (of Norman origin): from Middle English angel ‘angel’, from Old French angele, from Latin angelus (see above), perhaps applied as a nickname to someone of angelic temperament or appearance or for someone who played the part of an angel in a pageant. In North America, this surname may also be an altered form of any of several cognate European surnames, for example Italian Angelo, Romanian Anghel, Czech Anděl, or Hungarian Angyal. 3. American shortened form of Greek Angelis or of any other derivative of the personal name Angelos (see Angelos). Compare Angell and Angelus. 4. German: nickname from Old High German ango ‘spine, prick’ (also denoting the sharp awn or ‘beard’ of grain), denoting an angry or aggressive person. The German surname is concentrated in the farming area of southern Württemberg. 5. German: metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, from Middle High German angel ‘fishing rod’. 6. South German: perhaps a topographic name from angel ‘meadow, grass field’. 7. Americanized form of Croatian Anđel, a cognate of 1 above. Compare Angell. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Miguel, Carlos, Juan, Manuel, Jorge, Luis, Arturo, Roberto, Jesus, Raul, Salvador.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Angel in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname 'Angel' saw a significant increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, 'Angel' ranked 1704 among all surnames, but by 2010, it had jumped to 1428, marking a 16.2% change. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 19,316 in 2000 to 24,895 in 2010, a substantial growth of nearly 29%. The proportion of people named 'Angel' per 100,000 also increased by approximately 18%, from 7.16 to 8.44.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,704 | #1,428 | 16.2% |
| Count | 19,316 | 24,895 | 28.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.16 | 8.44 | 17.88% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Angel
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the distribution among those with the surname 'Angel' shifted between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Asians/Pacific Islanders increased by about 23%, from 1.20% to 1.48%. Those identifying with two or more races also saw a minor increase of around 5%. However, there was a notable decrease of nearly 19% among those identifying as White, slipping from 53.17% to 43.29%. Meanwhile, the name 'Angel' became more common among Hispanics, with a rise of over 23%, reaching 50.91%. The proportion of Blacks slightly declined, while that of American Indians and Alaskan Natives slightly increased.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 41.33% | 50.91% | 23.18% |
| White | 53.17% | 43.29% | -18.58% |
| Black | 2.89% | 2.82% | -2.42% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.2% | 1.48% | 23.33% |
| Two or More Races | 0.99% | 1.04% | 5.05% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 0.45% | 7.14% |
Angel 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 Angel is British & Irish, which comprises 34.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Spanish & Portuguese (16.6%) and French & German (14.3%). Additional ancestries include Indigenous American, Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Italian, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 34.5% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 16.6% |
| French & German | 14.3% |
| Other | 34.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Angel
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 Angel have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 58.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 58.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 58.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 58.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 57.80% |
What Angel 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 Angel is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L1 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Santos, Silva, Franco, Burgess, Leon, Fernandez, Alvarez, Romero, Diaz, Harrison.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Angel surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Angel 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.
"Angel" Surname 36.1%
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.
"Angel" Surname 23.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Angel" Surname 28.4%
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.
"Angel" Surname 16.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Angel?
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 Angel are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition