Explore the Family Name Baird
The meaning of Baird
Scottish: 1. from a common pronunciation of Bard in Scotland. 2. occupational name from Gaelic bàrd ‘bard, poet, minstrel’, or of Gaelic Mac an Baird ‘son of the bard’. History: This is the name of a PA (Pittsburgh) family which came to North America from Scotland via northern Ireland.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Baird in the United States?
According to data based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Baird has experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Baird was ranked as the 935th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had slipped to the 1010th spot, representing an 8.02% decrease in its ranking. However, despite this slip in rank, the actual count of people bearing the surname Baird increased from 34,233 in 2000 to 34,721 in 2010, a growth of 1.43%. The proportion of people with the surname Baird per 100,000 people also saw a decrease of 7.25% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #935 | #1,010 | -8.02% |
| Count | 34,233 | 34,721 | 1.43% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.69 | 11.77 | -7.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Baird
The ethnic identity associated with the Baird surname also saw some changes between 2000 and 2010 according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. While the majority of people with this surname identified as White, that proportion dropped slightly from 93.10% in 2000 to 91.44% in 2010. Other ethnic identities saw increases during this decade. For example, those identifying as Hispanic went from 1.50% to 2.40%, an increase of 60.00%. Those identifying as Black rose from 2.99% to 3.30%, a 10.37% increase. Individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw modest increases, while those identifying with two or more races increased from 1.23% to 1.59%, a change of 29.27%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.1% | 91.44% | -1.78% |
| Black | 2.99% | 3.3% | 10.37% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 2.4% | 60% |
| Two or More Races | 1.23% | 1.59% | 29.27% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.61% | 0.64% | 4.92% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.63% | 12.5% |
Baird 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 Baird is British & Irish, which comprises 55.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.8%) and Scandinavian (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.0% |
| French & German | 23.8% |
| Scandinavian | 4.6% |
| Other | 16.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Baird
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 Baird have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 89.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.10% |
What Baird 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 Baird is R-CTS4179, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS4179 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include I-Z60 and R-M417, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Beard, Friend, Brandon, Faulk, Harker, Squires, Gault, Newton, Goad, Scofield.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Baird surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Baird 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.
"Baird" Surname 40.3%
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.
"Baird" Surname 23.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Baird" Surname 23.6%
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.
"Baird" Surname 15.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Baird?
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 Baird are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition