Explore the Family Name Banks
The meaning of Banks
1. English: variant of Bank 5, with excrescent -s. The final -s may occasionally represent a plural form, but it is most commonly an arbitrary addition made after the main period of surname formation, perhaps under the influence of patronymic forms with a possessive -s. 2. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bruacháin ‘descendant of Bruachán’, a byname for a large-bellied person. The English form was chosen because of a mistaken association of the Gaelic name with bruach ‘bank’. Compare Bank 6.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Banks in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Banks" had a slight decrease in popularity ranking from 278 in 2000 to 292 in 2010, marking a drop of 5.04%. Notwithstanding this fall in rank, the actual count of individuals with the "Banks" surname increased by 6.59% over the decade, from 99,294 in 2000 to 105,833 in 2010. The proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 also experienced a slight decline of 2.53%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #278 | #292 | -5.04% |
| Count | 99,294 | 105,833 | 6.59% |
| Proportion per 100k | 36.81 | 35.88 | -2.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Banks
In terms of ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census also showed shifts between 2000 and 2010. Individuals identifying as Black held the highest percentage with the Banks surname, increasing slightly from 54.24% to 54.51%. Those identifying as White represented the second largest group, although their proportion decreased from 41.30% to 39.27%. There was a noteworthy increase in those identifying as Hispanic, moving up from 1.47% to 2.45%, while the proportion who identified as having two or more races also saw a considerable increase, from 2.28% to 2.98%. The counts for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw minor increases.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 54.24% | 54.51% | 0.5% |
| White | 41.3% | 39.27% | -4.92% |
| Two or More Races | 2.28% | 2.98% | 30.7% |
| Hispanic | 1.47% | 2.45% | 66.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.43% | 4.88% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.36% | 20% |
Banks 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 Banks is British & Irish, which comprises 44.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.6%) and Nigerian (9.3%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, Scandinavian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.8% |
| French & German | 17.6% |
| Nigerian | 9.3% |
| Other | 28.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Banks
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 Banks have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 69.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 69.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 68.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 68.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
What Banks 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 Banks is E-P252, which is predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Haplogroup E-P252 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and E-U290, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Jackson, Robinson, Johnson, Brown, Cooper, Green, Taylor, White, Smith, Williams.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Banks surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Ramesses III
Pharaoh Ramesses III defended Egypt in three consecutive wars during his approximately 30-year reign, but provoked dissent within his administration. Catalyzed by mounting internal strife, one of Ramesses's lesser wives, Tiye, hatched a plot to have her son, Pentawer, usurp the throne by having Ramesses III murdered along with his appointed heir. A papyrus record of the resulting trial explains that the plot failed and that all involved were tried and convicted.However, a modern CT scan of Ramesses III's mummy revealed a deep slit in his throat, reopening a case long thought closed. The embalmers went to great lengths to cover up other wounds, including fashioning a fake toe out of resin where Ramesses's real one had been hacked off, likely during a fatal attack. For thousands of years, Ramesses's burial adornments concealed the wounds that mark one of the most famous royal dramas in history. Ramesses III's paternal lineage belongs to haplogroup E-V38.
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.
What do people with the surname Banks 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.
"Banks" Surname 42.3%
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.
"Banks" Surname 35.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Banks" Surname 23.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Cat Allergy
An allergic reaction to cats, characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing.
"Banks" Surname 37.0%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Banks?
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 Banks are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition