Explore the Family Name Brigham

The meaning of Brigham

English: habitational name from either of two places in East Yorkshire and Cumberland named Brigham, or from Bridgham in Norfolk, all of which are from Old English brycg ‘bridge’ + hām ‘homestead’ or hamm ‘enclosure hemmed in by water’. History: Thomas Brigham (c.1603–53) came from London to Cambridge, MA, in 1635.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Brigham has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Brigham was ranked as the 5118th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had slipped to the 5369th position, marking a decline of 4.9%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Brigham last name increased from 6291 in 2000 to 6485 in 2010, an increase of 3.08%. However, when considering the proportion per 100k people, there was a 5.58% decrease.

20002010Change
Rank#5,118#5,369-4.9%
Count6,2916,4853.08%
Proportion per 100k2.332.2-5.58%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brigham

Regarding ethnic identity distribution among individuals with the Brigham surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals several shifts between 2000 and 2010. The largest percentage were identified as White, although that group witnessed a slight decrease from 80.81% in 2000 to 77.96% in 2010. During the same period, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase of 70.86%, moving from 1.51% to 2.58%. Black representation also increased slightly from 15.45% to 16.72%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races experienced increases of 18.75% and 47.41% respectively. Conversely, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native fell by 22.03%.

20002010Change
White80.81%77.96%-3.53%
Black15.45%16.72%8.22%
Hispanic1.51%2.58%70.86%
Two or More Races1.16%1.71%47.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.48%0.57%18.75%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.59%0.46%-22.03%

Brigham 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 Brigham is British & Irish, which comprises 51.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.2%) and Scandinavian (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish51.4%
French & German26.2%
Scandinavian4.2%
Other18.1%
Brigham

Possible origins of the surname Brigham

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.80%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom89.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom89.80%
West Midlands, United Kingdom89.30%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom88.70%

What Brigham 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 Brigham is N-Y4706, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup N-Y4706 is descended from haplogroup N-M231. Other common haplogroups include N-M178 and R-Z195, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Madrigal, Nottingham, Edmonson, Edmundson, Norvell, Normand, Nordin, Ehlert, Ehrhardt, Norcross.

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

brighamPaternal Haplogroup Origins N-M231
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to men with indigenous Siberian ancestry

Haplogroup N-M178 is the most common paternal lineage in people of indigenous Siberian descent, but it probably only arrived in Siberia within the last 3,000 years. By the time members of N-M178 arrived in Siberia from Mongolia and northern China, other humans had probably been there for tens of thousands of years. In fact, research suggests that modern humans have been in Siberia near the Altai Mountains for 40,000 years, mostly as hunter-gatherers. The original inhabitants of Siberia probably migrated from Central Asia, not long after the original human exodus from Africa 50,000-70,000 years ago.

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 Brigham 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

Brigham

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Brigham" Surname 46.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Brigham

Misophonia

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

"Brigham" Surname 24.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Brigham

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Brigham" Surname 20.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Brigham

Migraine

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

"Brigham" Surname 15.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Brigham?

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 Brigham 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%