Explore the Family Name Bishop
The meaning of Bishop
English: from Middle English bissop, biscop, Old English bisc(e)op ‘bishop’, which comes via Latin from Greek episkopos ‘overseer’. The Greek word was adopted early in the Christian era as a title for an overseer of a local community of Christians, and has yielded cognates in every European language: French évêque, Italian vescovo, Spanish obispo, Russian yepiskop, German Bischof, etc. The word came to be applied as a surname for a variety of reasons, among them a supposed resemblance in bearing or appearance to a bishop, and selection as the ‘boy bishop’ on Saint Nicholas’s Feast Day. In some instances the surname is from the rare Middle English (Old English) personal name Biscop ‘bishop’. As an Irish surname it is adopted for Mac Giolla Easpaig, meaning ‘servant of the bishop’ (see Gillespie). In North America, this surname has absorbed, by assimilation and translation, at least some of continental European cognates, e.g. German Bischoff, Polish, Rusyn, Czech, and Slovak Biskup, Slovenian Škof (see Skoff).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bishop in the United States?
The "Bishop" surname has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it ranked as the 238th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped to 262nd place, a change of -10.08%. However, despite this drop in rank, the total count of people with the Bishop surname actually increased from 114,034 in 2000 to 116,618 in 2010, marking a 2.27% increase. This contrasts with the proportion per 100,000 people, which decreased from 42.27 to 39.53, a -6.48% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #238 | #262 | -10.08% |
| Count | 114,034 | 116,618 | 2.27% |
| Proportion per 100k | 42.27 | 39.53 | -6.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bishop
When examining the ethnic identity associated with the Bishop surname based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there have been some shifts over the past decade. The largest group identified as White, comprising 86.38% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 84.44% in 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic population saw the greatest increase, going from 1.53% to 2.37%, a change of almost 55%. There were also increases among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those indicating they are of two or more races. The Black population saw a modest increase from 9.71% to 10.14%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category also saw an increase from 0.51% to 0.57%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.38% | 84.44% | -2.25% |
| Black | 9.71% | 10.14% | 4.43% |
| Hispanic | 1.53% | 2.37% | 54.9% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 1.86% | 31.91% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.61% | 32.61% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.51% | 0.57% | 11.76% |
Bishop 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 Bishop is British & Irish, which comprises 54.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.5%) and Eastern European (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.3% |
| French & German | 24.5% |
| Eastern European | 3.9% |
| Other | 17.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Bishop
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 Bishop have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
What Bishop 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 Bishop is R-Z8, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z8 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-M467, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Shepherd, Hill, Lang, Hart, Mason, Smith, Wilson, Baker, Clark, Sheppard.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bishop surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
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.
What do people with the surname Bishop 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.
"Bishop" Surname 42.7%
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.
"Bishop" Surname 29.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bishop" Surname 23.2%
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.
"Bishop" Surname 18.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bishop?
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 Bishop are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition