Explore the Family Name Bess
The meaning of Bess
1. English (Devon): possibly a variant of Biss. 2. Altered form of German Boesch. 3. In some cases possibly also be an altered form of French Besse.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bess in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bess saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 3532nd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped slightly in rank to 3677th. However, despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname increased by 4.7%, from 9229 people in 2000 to 9663 in 2010. This indicates that while other surnames may have become more common, the number of people named Bess actually increased.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,532 | #3,677 | -4.11% |
| Count | 9,229 | 9,663 | 4.7% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.42 | 3.28 | -4.09% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bess
In terms of ethnicity, again according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, different ethnic identities associated with the surname Bess experienced various changes between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of people with this surname who identified as White decreased by 4.72% while those who identified as Black saw a small increase of 3.05%. Notably, there was a significant 72.59% increase in people identifying as Hispanic with this surname. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased by 29.27%, and individuals identifying with two or more races saw an increase of 22.16%. Conversely, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a decrease of 9.68%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 61.65% | 58.74% | -4.72% |
| Black | 33.49% | 34.51% | 3.05% |
| Hispanic | 1.97% | 3.4% | 72.59% |
| Two or More Races | 1.85% | 2.26% | 22.16% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.62% | 0.56% | -9.68% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.53% | 29.27% |
Bess 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 Bess is British & Irish, which comprises 45.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.2%) and Nigerian (5.9%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 45.1% |
| French & German | 21.2% |
| Nigerian | 5.9% |
| Other | 27.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Bess
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 Bess have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 74.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 74.60% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 74.60% |
What Bess 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 Bess is G-L1324, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup G-L1324 is descended from haplogroup G-M201. Other common haplogroups include R-DF98 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Curry, Jacques, Wall, Merchant, James, Barnes, Price, Henderson, Thomas, Lewis.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bess surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins G-M201
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men of the Argyn tribe
The descendants of the common ancestor of haplogroup G-M285, also called haplogroup G1, are still common in the Levant, Iran, and Central Asia today, including in the Argyn tribe of Kazakhstan. The Argyn tribe is divided into 12 clans, all of which likely descend from a single common ancestor. There is no historical evidence of this man, named Argyn, but there is evidence of his presumed great-grandson Karakhoja. Karakhoja was an ambassador from the ruler of the Golden Horde Toshtamish khan to a Mongol conqueror named Tamerlane in the year 1405. Most of the 12 Argyn clans are believed to descend from Karakhoja, while others are believed to descend from Karakhoja's brother, Somdyk.
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 Bess 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.
"Bess" Surname 41.1%
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.
"Bess" Surname 35.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bess" Surname 12.2%
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.
"Bess" Surname 23.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bess?
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 Bess are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition