Explore the Family Name Barclay
The meaning of Barclay
Scottish: habitational name of English origin, from any of several places so called, such as Berkley in Somerset or Berkeley in Gloucestershire, both named in Old English with be(o)rc ‘birch’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. History: The surname was brought to Scotland from southwestern England in the 12th century; Walter de Berchelai or Berkelai was Chamberlain of Scotland in 1165. It was long assumed that they were from the family that held Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, but the historian G. W. S. Barrow (1973, The Kingdom of the Scots) adduced evidence that they are more probably from Berkley in Somerset.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Barclay in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Barclay has seen a minor decrease in rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 2,965th place to 3,115th. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Barclay surname increased by 3.66% during this decade, rising from 11,160 in 2000 to 11,568 in 2010. However, when looking at the proportion per 100k, there was a slight decrease of 5.31%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,965 | #3,115 | -5.06% |
| Count | 11,160 | 11,568 | 3.66% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.14 | 3.92 | -5.31% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Barclay
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Barclay also shifted between the 2000 and 2010 Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of Barclays were White (83.75%), followed by Black (12.03%), Hispanic (1.98%), those identifying with two or more races (1.25%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.66%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.32%). By 2010 though, although Whites still made up the largest group, their percentage had dropped to 80.17%. The percentages of all other groups increased over the decade, with the most notable increases observed among those identifying as Black (14.18%) and those claiming two or more races (1.75%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83.75% | 80.17% | -4.27% |
| Black | 12.03% | 14.18% | 17.87% |
| Hispanic | 1.98% | 2.72% | 37.37% |
| Two or More Races | 1.25% | 1.75% | 40% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.66% | 0.75% | 13.64% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.32% | 0.43% | 34.38% |
Barclay 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 Barclay is British & Irish, which comprises 53.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.8%) and Eastern European (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.0% |
| French & German | 21.8% |
| Eastern European | 4.2% |
| Other | 20.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Barclay
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 Barclay have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
What Barclay 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 Barclay is I-PF4189, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-PF4189 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-M26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Barkley, Hodson, Bartley, Cameron, Shaw, Howe, Phillips, Sherman, Morgan, Hodgson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Barclay surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your 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 Barclay 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.
"Barclay" Surname 43.9%
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.
"Barclay" Surname 26.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Barclay" Surname 21.9%
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.
"Barclay" Surname 13.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Barclay?
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 Barclay are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition