Explore the Family Name Badger
The meaning of Badger
English: 1. habitational name from a place in Shropshire named Badger, probably from an unattested Old English personal name Bæcg + Old English ofer ‘ridge’. 2. occupational name for a maker of bags (see Bagge 1) or from Middle English badger ‘hawker, huckster’, though this word is not recorded before 1467–8 and it is of doubtful origin. It is unlikely that the surname has anything to do with the animal (see Brock 2), which was not known by this name until the 16th century. History: A Giles Badger from England was in Newbury, MA, by c.1635.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Badger in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Badger" slightly decreased over the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Badger was ranked 4308th most popular surname, but it dropped to 4442nd rank in 2010, making a -3.11% change. However, despite its drop in rank, the count of individuals with the surname Badger increased by 4.82%, from 7620 in 2000 to 7987 in 2010. This suggests an overall growth in population, but proportionally, the name became less common, decreasing from 2.82 per 100k people in 2000 to 2.71 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,308 | #4,442 | -3.11% |
| Count | 7,620 | 7,987 | 4.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.82 | 2.71 | -3.9% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Badger
In terms of ethnic identity associated with the surname "Badger," changes can be observed based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The highest percentage of individuals with this surname identified as White, although this decreased from 79.46% in 2000 to 76.96% in 2010. The second highest group were those identifying as Black, which saw an increase from 16.88% to 17.78% in the same period. There was also a significant increase in people identifying with two or more races, growing by 82.68%. Meanwhile, the percentages of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased. Interestingly, there was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 1.21% to 1.90%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.46% | 76.96% | -3.15% |
| Black | 16.88% | 17.78% | 5.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.27% | 2.32% | 82.68% |
| Hispanic | 1.21% | 1.9% | 57.02% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.67% | 0.61% | -8.96% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.51% | 0.43% | -15.69% |
Badger 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 Badger is British & Irish, which comprises 52.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.7%) and Scandinavian (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.2% |
| French & German | 25.7% |
| Scandinavian | 4.6% |
| Other | 17.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Badger
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 Badger have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
What Badger 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 Badger 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-Z198 and E-V13, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Blackburn, Noble, Thorne, Lima, Cross, Souza, Salisbury, Staley, Dias, Lafrance.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Badger surname are: H1, H, V. 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 Badger 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.
"Badger" Surname 38.2%
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.
"Badger" Surname 26.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Badger" Surname 19.1%
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.
"Badger" Surname 19.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Badger?
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 Badger are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition