Explore the Family Name Brent
The meaning of Brent
English: habitational name from East Brent in Somerset or South Brent in Devon, both named from Old English brente ‘steep place’, referring to the steep hills on which they stand. Compare Brents. History: Giles Brent came from Gloucestershire, England, to MD in 1638.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Brent in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Brent has seen subtle changes in its popularity over the years. In 2000, Brent was ranked as the 4408th most popular surname, with a total count of 7436 bearers across the United States. By 2010, the rank had slightly dropped to 4535, indicating a decrease in popularity by 2.88%. However, the total number of individuals carrying the surname Brent increased to 7820, marking a growth of 5.16%. The proportion of the population bearing the surname per 100,000 people also decreased from 2.76 in 2000 to 2.65 in 2010, showing a decrease of 3.99%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,408 | #4,535 | -2.88% |
| Count | 7,436 | 7,820 | 5.16% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.76 | 2.65 | -3.99% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brent
Regarding the ethnicity associated with the surname Brent, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a variety of ethnic identities. The largest group identified as White, although their percentage decreased from 63.25% in 2000 to 58.87% in 2010. Those who identified as Black made up the second-largest group at 32.02% in 2000 and saw an increase to 33.81% in 2010. There was a notable increase among those identifying as Hispanic, with the figure more than doubling from 1.41% in 2000 to 2.85% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw minor increases. Lastly, there was a significant increase of 46.98% in those identifying as two or more races, growing from 2.15% in 2000 to 3.16% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 63.25% | 58.87% | -6.92% |
| Black | 32.02% | 33.81% | 5.59% |
| Two or More Races | 2.15% | 3.16% | 46.98% |
| Hispanic | 1.41% | 2.85% | 102.13% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.63% | 0.73% | 15.87% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.58% | 7.41% |
Brent 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 Brent is British & Irish, which comprises 43.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (8.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Scandinavian, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 43.9% |
| French & German | 18.8% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 8.6% |
| Other | 28.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Brent
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 Brent have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 75.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 75.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 75.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.30% |
What Brent 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 Brent is J-M241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-M241 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include E-M180 and G-Z8014, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Peter, Gardner, Morgenstern, Molitor, Disalvo, Disanto, Dishman, Moline, Molinaro, Dittman.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Brent surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your 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.
What do people with the surname Brent 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.
"Brent" Surname 44.8%
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.
"Brent" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Brent" Surname 15.2%
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.
"Brent" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Brent?
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 Brent are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition