Explore the Family Name Billington
The meaning of Billington
English: habitational name from any of the three places called Billington, in Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Bedfordshire. The first of these is first recorded in 1196 as Billingduna ‘sword-shaped hill’ (see Bill 2); the second is in Domesday Book as Belintone ‘settlement (Old English tūn) of Billa’; the one in Bedfordshire is recorded in 1196 as Billendon, from an Old English personal name Billa + dūn ‘hill’. The place in Lancashire is the most likely source of the surname. History: John Billington (1580–1630), from Spalding, Lincolnshire, was a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620 and an early settler in Plymouth Colony. Governor Bradford called him ‘the profanest’ of the settlers; eventually he was hanged for murder. His son Francis married and had children.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Billington in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Billington saw a minor decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Its rank dropped from 8300 to 8904, marking a decrease of 7.28%. However, the count slightly rose from 3671 people in 2000 to 3678 people in 2010, showing an increase of 0.19%. The proportion per 100k also fell by 8.09% during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,300 | #8,904 | -7.28% |
| Count | 3,671 | 3,678 | 0.19% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.36 | 1.25 | -8.09% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Billington
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Billington as per the Decennial U.S. Census varied over the decade. In 2000, the majority identifying as White was 88.40%, which by 2010 declined by 2.07% to 86.57%. Those identifying as Black saw a small increase from 8.44% to 8.73%. Individuals identifying as Hispanic doubled, rising from 1.17% to 2.34%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native both decreased by 21.05%. Interestingly, those who identified with two or more races increased by almost 44%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.4% | 86.57% | -2.07% |
| Black | 8.44% | 8.73% | 3.44% |
| Hispanic | 1.17% | 2.34% | 100% |
| Two or More Races | 1.23% | 1.77% | 43.9% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.38% | 0.3% | -21.05% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.38% | 0.3% | -21.05% |
Billington 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 Billington is British & Irish, which comprises 60.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.8%) and Scandinavian (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.6% |
| French & German | 21.8% |
| Scandinavian | 4.4% |
| Other | 13.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Billington
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 Billington have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
What Billington 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 Billington is I-Y6900, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Y6900 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: York, Winslow, Goodall, Dingman, Nichols, Potts, Thorpe, De Vries, Bamford, Reed.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Billington surname are: H1, H, K1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
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 Billington 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.
"Billington" Surname 45.2%
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.
"Billington" Surname 37.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Billington" Surname 11.6%
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.
"Billington" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Billington?
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 Billington are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition