Explore the Family Name Bourne

The meaning of Bourne

English: topographic name for someone who lived beside a stream, from southern Middle English bourne, Old English burna, burne ‘spring, stream’, or a habitational name from a place called with this word, for example Bourn in Cambridgeshire or Bourne in Lincolnshire. In surnames the reference is often to an old stream called burna, surviving as the name of a farm. This word was replaced as the general word for a stream in southern dialects by Old English brōc (see Brook) and came to be restricted in meaning to a stream flowing only intermittently, especially in winter.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Bourne has seen a slight decrease in rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 3,673rd most popular to 3,823rd. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Bourne surname increased by 4.34%, from 8,884 in 2000 to 9,270 in 2010. Additionally, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 decreased slightly by 4.56%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,673#3,823-4.08%
Count8,8849,2704.34%
Proportion per 100k3.293.14-4.56%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bourne

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifts in the ethnicity associated with the Bourne surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Bournes who identify as White decreased by 3.56%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic saw the largest growth, increasing by 52.17%. Individuals identifying as Black also increased, growing by 5.62%. Those recognizing their ethnicity as Asian/Pacific Islander or as two or more races also saw increases, by 26.58% and 24.88% respectively. The only group that showed a decrease were those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, falling by 6.78%.

20002010Change
White77.21%74.46%-3.56%
Black17.26%18.23%5.62%
Hispanic2.07%3.15%52.17%
Two or More Races2.09%2.61%24.88%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.79%1%26.58%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.59%0.55%-6.78%

Bourne 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 Bourne is British & Irish, which comprises 54.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.4%) and Scandinavian (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish54.5%
French & German19.4%
Scandinavian3.6%
Other22.5%
Bourne

Possible origins of the surname Bourne

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 Bourne have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom85.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom85.70%
Greater London, United Kingdom85.70%
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.70%
Lancashire, United Kingdom85.30%

What Bourne 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 Bourne is R-FGC15710, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC15710 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dixon, Howard, Wilkinson, Martin, Weber, Miller, Morris, Saunders, Richards, Brown.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bourne surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

bournePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Bourne 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

Bourne

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Bourne" Surname 40.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Bourne

Misophonia

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

"Bourne" Surname 28.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Bourne

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Bourne" Surname 13.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Bourne

Migraine

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

"Bourne" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Bourne?

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 Bourne 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%