Explore the Family Name Beauchamp

The meaning of Beauchamp

1. English (of Norman origin) and French: habitational name from any of several places in France, for example in Manche and Somme, that are named with Old French beu, bel ‘fair, lovely’ + champ(s) ‘field, plain’ (from Latin bello campo ‘beautiful field’). In English the surname is generally pronounced Beecham. Compare Bushaw. 2. English: in some cases, an Anglo-Norman French adaptation of Scottish Campbell, by translation into French of the folk etymology de campo bello ‘from the fair field’. History: Two families of this name were prominent in the 13th and 14th centuries in England. One was established in Somerset, the other in Warwickshire, and there is no apparent connection between them. — Beauchamp lines in Canada descend from two brothers from La Rochelle, whose father was called Deschamps as well as Beauchamp. They were in Montreal, QC, by 1661. One was also known as Le Grand Beauchamp and the other as Le Petit Beauchamp. — This surname (see 1 above) is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors. Some characteristic forenames: French Antoine, Jacques, Yves, Andre, Armand, Emile, Fernand, Marcel, Marthe, Remi, Alcide, Camille.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Beauchamp has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 2,964th in 2000, it slipped to 3,023rd in 2010, showing a change of -1.99%. However, the count of individuals with the Beauchamp surname increased by 6.27% during this decade, growing from 11,165 to 11,865. The proportion per 100,000 people also declined slightly by 2.9%, falling from 4.14 to 4.02.

20002010Change
Rank#2,964#3,023-1.99%
Count11,16511,8656.27%
Proportion per 100k4.144.02-2.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Beauchamp

Regarding ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the largest demographic with the Beauchamp surname is White, although the percentage decreased from 83.56% in 2000 to 80.12% in 2010. During the same period, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased by 17.59% to reach 8.69%, while those identifying as Black grew by 16.8% to make up 7.44%. The percentage of Beauchamp individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander descent also rose by 21.43%, albeit from a smaller base. Similarly, those claiming two or more races increased by 56.55% and American Indian and Alaskan Native by 18.29%, although these represent smaller proportions of the total.

20002010Change
White83.56%80.12%-4.12%
Hispanic7.39%8.69%17.59%
Black6.37%7.44%16.8%
Two or More Races1.45%2.27%56.55%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.82%0.97%18.29%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.42%0.51%21.43%

Beauchamp 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 Beauchamp is British & Irish, which comprises 45.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.2%) and Spanish & Portuguese (7.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Indigenous American, and Nigerian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish45.2%
French & German25.2%
Spanish & Portuguese7.1%
Other22.5%
Beauchamp

Possible origins of the surname Beauchamp

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom79.40%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom79.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom79.10%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom78.80%
Merseyside, United Kingdom78.50%

What Beauchamp 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 Beauchamp is R-L48, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L48 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include J-L283 and R-Z11, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Burrows, Raines, Dobbs, Pyne, Ladd, Thurston, North, Rains, Blackwell, Wilburn.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Beauchamp surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

beauchampPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI

The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.

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 Beauchamp 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

Beauchamp

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Beauchamp" Surname 38.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Beauchamp

Misophonia

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

"Beauchamp" Surname 37.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Beauchamp

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Beauchamp" Surname 25.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Beauchamp

Migraine

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

"Beauchamp" Surname 18.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Beauchamp?

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 Beauchamp 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%