Explore the Family Name Birnbaum
The meaning of Birnbaum
1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by a conspicuous pear tree, from Middle High German bir ‘pear’ + boum ‘tree’, or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name popular in many medieval towns. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Birnbaum ‘pear tree’, applied mainly as an artificial name, possibly occasionally as a topographic name (compare 1 above). Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Emanuel, Meyer, Avrohom, Hyman, Menashe, Arie, Benzion, Chaskel, Isadore, Mendel.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Birnbaum in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Birnbaum has seen a modest shift in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the surname slipped from 9436 in 2000 to 10030 in 2010, marking a decrease of 6.3%. Despite the dip in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Birnbaum surname showed a slight increase of 1.61%, from 3160 in 2000 to 3211 in 2010. However, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 population decreased by 6.84% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,436 | #10,030 | -6.3% |
| Count | 3,160 | 3,211 | 1.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.17 | 1.09 | -6.84% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Birnbaum
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides an interesting perspective on the changing ethnic identity associated with the Birnbaum surname. While a majority of individuals with this name identified as White (95.14% in 2010), there has been a noticeable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, with a growth of 61.84% between 2000 and 2010. Similarly, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw an increase of 29.27% during this period. Conversely, the percentage of Birnbaums identifying as two or more races saw a decline of 19.35%. It should be noted that no individuals with this surname identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year. This data underscores the nuanced shifts in ethnic identities over time.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.66% | 95.14% | -0.54% |
| Hispanic | 1.52% | 2.46% | 61.84% |
| Two or More Races | 1.55% | 1.25% | -19.35% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.82% | 1.06% | 29.27% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Birnbaum 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 Birnbaum is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 58.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (15.2%) and French & German (11.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Indigenous American, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 58.6% |
| British & Irish | 15.2% |
| French & German | 11.1% |
| Other | 15.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Birnbaum
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 Birnbaum have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
What Birnbaum 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 Birnbaum is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include E-L29 and G-M377, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lieberman, Spector, Zucker, Pollack, Berkowitz, Schechter, Silverstein, Eisenberg, Weinstein, Mandel.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Birnbaum surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages
Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.
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 Birnbaum 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.
"Birnbaum" Surname 48.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Birnbaum" Surname 38.9%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Birnbaum" Surname 18.2%
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.
"Birnbaum" Surname 23.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Birnbaum?
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 Birnbaum are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition