Explore the Family Name Back
The meaning of Back
1. English (Devon, Kent, Sussex, and Norfolk): from the Middle English personal name Bakke (Old English Bacca). It is of uncertain origin, but may have been a byname in the same sense as 3. 2. English: nickname from Middle English bakke ‘bat’, of uncertain application, perhaps a nickname for a person with poor eyesight, from the expression ‘blind as a bat’. 3. English: from Middle English bakke ‘back’ (Old English bæc), hence a nickname for someone with a hunched back or some other noticeable peculiarity of the back or spine, or a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or ridge, or at the rear of a settlement. 4. Americanized form of German Bach 1. 5. German (Bäck): variant of Beck. 6. North German and Dutch: from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch back ‘trough, tub, bin’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or used such artefacts. 7. Dutch and North German: perhaps also a derivative of baa(c)k ‘pig; bacon, ham’, hence a nickname for a butcher or a pig farmer. 8. Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived at the back of somewhere such as a village, a main street, or a manor house, from a phrase such as van de back or from Bak- ‘back’ as a bound form. 9. Dutch: from the medieval personal name Ba(c)k(e), which could be a short form of several ancient Germanic personal names beginning with Bald- ‘bold’, Bade- ‘envoy’, or Bag- ‘up in arms’. 10. Dutch: in some cases also a derivative of Backer ‘baker, and perhaps also a nickname for someone with a hunched back, as in the English name in 3 above. 11. Swedish (Bäck): topographic or ornamental name from bäck ‘small stream or brook’, or a habitational name from a place called Bäck or from a placename containing the word bäck. Compare Beck. 12. Swedish: variant of Backe. 13. Americanized form of Norwegian Bakk (see Bakke).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Back in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Back witnessed a subtle fluctuation between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it held the rank of 3811 with a count of 8540, which slightly increased to 8762 in 2010, indicating a 2.6 percent change. However, its overall ranking slipped to 4051 in 2010, marking a decrease of 6.3 percent. The proportion per 100,000 also experienced a slight dip from 3.17 in 2000 to 2.97 in 2010, a reduction of 6.31 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,811 | #4,051 | -6.3% |
| Count | 8,540 | 8,762 | 2.6% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.17 | 2.97 | -6.31% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Back
On the ethnicity front, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals an interesting shift in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Back. In 2000, a significant portion identified as White, standing at 90.05 percent, which saw a slight decrease to 87.42 percent in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose notably from 4.77 to 6.55. The proportion of individuals associating themselves with two or more races also grew from 0.93 to 1.47, an increase of 58.06 percent. Hispanic representation showed a marginal rise, moving from 2.66 to 2.91 percent. The percentage of Black individuals reduced slightly, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a modest increment.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.05% | 87.42% | -2.92% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 4.77% | 6.55% | 37.32% |
| Hispanic | 2.66% | 2.91% | 9.4% |
| Two or More Races | 0.93% | 1.47% | 58.06% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.89% | 0.98% | 10.11% |
| Black | 0.71% | 0.66% | -7.04% |
Back 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 Back is British & Irish, which comprises 44.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.0%) and Scandinavian (6.5%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Korean, Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.9% |
| French & German | 25.0% |
| Scandinavian | 6.5% |
| Other | 23.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Back
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 Back have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 77.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 77.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 77.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 77.10% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 76.70% |
What Back 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 Back 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-L48 and R-L2, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pritchett, Rhodes, Fletcher, Sager, Archer, Lister, Beck, George, Foreman, Beyer.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Back surname are: H1, H3, 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 Back 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.
"Back" Surname 46.7%
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.
"Back" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Back" Surname 21.1%
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.
"Back" Surname 17.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Back?
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 Back are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition