Explore the Family Name Blue

The meaning of Blue

1. Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic MacGhilleghuirm ‘son of the blue lad’. 2. English: variant of Blew 2. 3. Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Blau ‘blue’ and of the French cognate Bleu. Compare Blew.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Blue in the United States?

The surname Blue holds a steady position in popularity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, Blue ranked as the 1,461st most common surname and experienced a slight drop in rank to 1,466 by 2010. Despite the dip in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname Blue increased from 22,422 in 2000 to 24,341 in 2010, showing an 8.56% rise. However, when taking into account the proportion per 100k people, there was a minor reduction of 0.72%.

20002010Change
Rank#1,461#1,466-0.34%
Count22,42224,3418.56%
Proportion per 100k8.318.25-0.72%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Blue

Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some changes over the decade. The surname Blue is widely associated with the White and Black communities, which held 45.01% and 45.59% respectively in 2010. There was a noticeable increase in individuals identifying as Hispanic (from 1.29% in 2000 to 2.21% in 2010) and those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.60% to 0.89%). The community identifying as two or more races also saw an increase from 2.16% to 3.21%. Meanwhile, there was a small decrease within the American Indian and Alaskan Native group from 3.23% to 3.09%.

20002010Change
Black44.8%45.59%1.76%
White47.91%45.01%-6.05%
Two or More Races2.16%3.21%48.61%
American Indian and Alaskan Native3.23%3.09%-4.33%
Hispanic1.29%2.21%71.32%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.6%0.89%48.33%

Blue 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 Blue is British & Irish, which comprises 45.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.5%) and Nigerian (6.8%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Angolan & Congolese.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish45.0%
French & German20.5%
Nigerian6.8%
Other27.7%
Blue

Possible origins of the surname Blue

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 Blue have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom73.90%
West Midlands, United Kingdom73.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom73.70%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom73.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom73.10%

What Blue 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 Blue is R-L48, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L48 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z255 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Raines, Dobbs, Ambrose, Archer, George, Ladd, Blackwell, Bacon, Burrows, Cummins.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Blue surname are: H1, H, L2a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry.

bluePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

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 the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Blue 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

Blue

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Blue" Surname 38.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Blue

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Blue" Surname 31.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Blue

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Blue" Surname 26.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Blue

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Blue" Surname 16.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Blue?

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 Blue are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%