Explore the Family Name Beard
The meaning of Beard
English: 1. nickname for a bearded man (from Middle English berd, Old English beard). To be clean-shaven was the norm in non-Jewish communities in northwestern Europe from the 12th to the 16th century, the crucial period for surname formation. There is a placename and other evidence to show that this word was used as a byname in the Old English period, when beards were the norm; in this period the byname would have referred to a large or noticeable beard. In North America, this surname has absorbed cognates and equivalents in other languages, in particular German Barth 1. 2. habitational name from a place called Beard in Derbyshire (now represented by Beard Hall and Beardwood Farms in New Mills parish), which derives its name by dissimilation from Old English brerd ‘rim, bank’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Beard in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Beard" showed a slight fluctuation in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname decreased by 9.24% from 660 in 2000 to 721 in 2010, indicating a dip in popularity over this decade. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased by 2.29% from 47,128 to 48,207 over the same time period. This suggests that despite the drop in ranking, more people were identified with the Beard surname in the census data. Similarly, the proportion per 100,000 people dropped marginally by 6.47%, from 17.47 in 2000 to 16.34 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #660 | #721 | -9.24% |
| Count | 47,128 | 48,207 | 2.29% |
| Proportion per 100k | 17.47 | 16.34 | -6.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Beard
The ethnicity associated with the surname "Beard" diversified between 2000 and 2010 as indicated by the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the majority of Bearers of the "Beard" surname identified as White (77.09%), followed by Black (18.93%), with small percentages identifying as Two or More Races, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaskan Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander. By 2010, while the majority still identified as White, the percentage had slightly fallen to 74.91%. An increase was observed in all other ethnic identities, most notably among those identifying as Hispanic, which saw an increase of 64.14%. The proportion of individuals identifying as Black also increased slightly to 19.61%, as well as those identifying with two or more races (1.99%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.45%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.09% | 74.91% | -2.83% |
| Black | 18.93% | 19.61% | 3.59% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2.38% | 64.14% |
| Two or More Races | 1.55% | 1.99% | 28.39% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.67% | 3.08% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.33% | 0.45% | 36.36% |
Beard 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 Beard is British & Irish, which comprises 54.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.2%) and Scandinavian (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.1% |
| French & German | 24.2% |
| Scandinavian | 3.4% |
| Other | 18.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Beard
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 Beard have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
What Beard 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 Beard 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 R-CTS241 and R-M417, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Friend, Baird, Brandon, Newton, Squires, Blake, Faulk, Johnsen, George, Livingston.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Beard 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 Beard 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.
"Beard" Surname 38.9%
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.
"Beard" Surname 30.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Beard" Surname 23.1%
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.
"Beard" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Beard?
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 Beard are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition