Explore the Family Name Brody

The meaning of Brody

1. Scottish: variant of Brodie. 2. Hungarian (Bródy) and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of the many towns and cities in Central and Eastern Europe named with Slavic brod ‘fort’. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Emanuel, Avrohom, Moshe, Gershon, Hyman, Isadore, Mendle, Chana, Eluzer, Feivel.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Brody' has seen a slight decrease in rank, moving from 4966 in 2000 to 5142 in 2010, a change of -3.54%. Despite the drop in rank, the number of people with the last name 'Brody' actually increased by 4.79% during the same period, from 6494 to 6805. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of 'Brody' decreased by -4.15%, indicating that while the count increased, it did not keep pace with overall population growth.

20002010Change
Rank#4,966#5,142-3.54%
Count6,4946,8054.79%
Proportion per 100k2.412.31-4.15%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Brody

The ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Brody' also saw changes between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of Brodys who identify as White slightly increased, from 91.10% to 91.61%. The Hispanic representation also rose substantially, growing by 54.68% over the decade. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black or as two or more races saw decreases of -19.92% and -24.84% respectively. Asian/Pacific Islander Brodys experienced a rise of 24.62%, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native dipped slightly by -8.70%.

20002010Change
White91.1%91.61%0.56%
Black5.07%4.06%-19.92%
Hispanic1.39%2.15%54.68%
Two or More Races1.57%1.18%-24.84%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.65%0.81%24.62%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.23%0.21%-8.7%

Brody 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 Brody is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 47.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (22.6%) and French & German (8.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Levantine, and Nigerian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish47.7%
British & Irish22.6%
French & German8.8%
Other20.9%
Brody

Possible origins of the surname Brody

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom47.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom47.10%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom46.60%
West Midlands, United Kingdom46.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom46.60%

What Brody 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 Brody is E-L791, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-L791 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-M92 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Silverman, Schwartz, Goldstein, Goldberg, Weiss, Feldman, Marks, Gold, Silver, Friedman.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Brody surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

brodyPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Napolean Bonaparte

The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte descended from the common ancestor of haplogroup E-M34. The male line of the Bonaparte family was from Tuscany, where Napoleon's earliest known male ancestors lived for at least six generations. Eleven generations before Napoleon, his ancestor, Giovanni, was the first to leave Tuscany for Corsica. The Bonaparte lineage lived in Corsica for ten generations before Napoleon's father, Charles-Marie Bonaparte. Charles-Marie (born in 1746) married Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, at the age of 18 in 1764.

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 Brody 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

Brody

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Brody" Surname 25.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Brody

Misophonia

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

"Brody" Surname 22.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Brody

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Brody" Surname 12.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Brody

Migraine

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

"Brody" Surname 17.6%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Brody?

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 Brody 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

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%