Explore the Family Name Bill
The meaning of Bill
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Bille or Bile, either a pet form of the female names Amabil and Sybil or a survival of Old English Bil or Old Norse Bildr. 2. English: nickname from Middle English (Old English) bile ‘bill, beak (of a bird)’, perhaps used contemptuously of a person’s nose or mouth. It may also be an occupational name from Middle English (Old English) bil(l) ‘bill(hook), pruning hook, halberd’, given perhaps to a user or maker of pruning hooks and similar implements. See Biller 5. 3. English: topographic name for someone who lived on or by a promontory or headland, from Middle English bile, bille ‘beak’ (from Old English bile). 4. German: from an ancient Germanic personal name, either a short form of compound names such as Billard. 5. Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Bill (altered short form of William) as a surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bill in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname 'Bill' has seen a decrease in popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 4,994, but by 2010, its rank had dropped to 6,474, indicating a 29.64% decline. The count of people with this surname also decreased during this period, from 6,445 in 2000 to 5,246 in 2010, a drop of 18.6%. Accordingly, the proportion of this surname per 100k population decreased by 25.52%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,994 | #6,474 | -29.64% |
| Count | 6,445 | 5,246 | -18.6% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.39 | 1.78 | -25.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bill
Ethnic identity distribution for the surname 'Bill' as informed by the Decennial U.S. Census, shows some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 48.46%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw a rise of 45.94%. There was also an increase in the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native by 33.08%. However, the percentage of people associated with two or more races slightly decreased by 4%, as well as those identifying as Black which dropped significantly by 33%. The percentage of White individuals with the surname 'Bill' remained relatively stable, with a tiny decrease of 0.35%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.25% | 74.99% | -0.35% |
| Black | 12.12% | 8.12% | -33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 5.26% | 7% | 33.08% |
| Hispanic | 4.31% | 6.29% | 45.94% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.3% | 1.93% | 48.46% |
| Two or More Races | 1.75% | 1.68% | -4% |
Bill 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 Bill is British & Irish, which comprises 43.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (27.9%) and Eastern European (7.2%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Chinese.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 43.0% |
| French & German | 27.9% |
| Eastern European | 7.2% |
| Other | 21.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Bill
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 Bill have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 77.00% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 76.10% |
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 76.10% |
What Bill 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 Bill is R-CTS1211, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS1211 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include I-DF29 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schaaf, Pawlowski, Corso, Bucher, Henke, Markus, Alberts, Majewski, Frantz, Nemeth.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bill surname are: H1, N, 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 Bill 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.
"Bill" Surname 45.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Acrophobia
An intense fear of heights that goes beyond the concern many people feel around significant heights.
"Bill" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 16.7%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bill" Surname 22.5%
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.
"Bill" Surname 16.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bill?
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 Bill are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition