Explore the Family Name Bair

The meaning of Bair

Altered form of German Baer.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bair in the United States?

The surname Bair, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 3013th, but by 2010, it had moved down slightly to 3052nd, marking a change of -1.29 percent. Despite this rank decrease, the total count of people with the Bair surname actually increased by 6.47 percent, from 11,027 in 2000 to 11,740 in 2010. However, its proportion per 100k people dropped by -2.69 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#3,013#3,052-1.29%
Count11,02711,7406.47%
Proportion per 100k4.093.98-2.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bair

Looking at the ethnicity of individuals with the Bair surname based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, there have been some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Bairs identifying as White decreased by -2.14 percent while those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 61.19 percent, although they still remain a small group. There was also a significant increase in the Hispanic category, which rose by 85.96 percent. People of two or more ethnic identities increased by 59.78 percent, while those identifying as Black increased by 12.17 percent. On the other hand, the percentage of Bairs identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by -24.56 percent.

20002010Change
White94.81%92.78%-2.14%
Hispanic1.14%2.12%85.96%
Black1.89%2.12%12.17%
Two or More Races0.92%1.47%59.78%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.67%1.08%61.19%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.57%0.43%-24.56%

Bair 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 Bair is British & Irish, which comprises 41.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (38.8%) and Eastern European (5.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish41.6%
French & German38.8%
Eastern European5.1%
Other14.4%
Bair

Possible origins of the surname Bair

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 Bair have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom86.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom86.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.80%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom86.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom86.40%

What Bair 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 Bair 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-L51 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Duvall, Chamberlin, Putnam, Whiteside, Garza, Vigil, Ashcraft, Aldrich, Atherton, Messenger.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bair surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

bairPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Bair 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

Bair

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Bair" Surname 55.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Bair

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Bair" Surname 32.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Bair

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Bair" Surname 28.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Bair

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Bair" Surname 17.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Bair?

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 Bair are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%