Explore the Family Name Chestnut
The meaning of Chestnut
1. Scottish (Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire) and northern Irish: altered form of Chesney, shortened from McChesney. Its assimilation to the English word chestnut is due to folk etymology, the word itself being first recorded in 1519. The surname was probably taken to Ireland at the time of the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster. 2. English (Norfolk): probably a variant of Chestney (see Chaney), altered by folk etymological association with the word chestnut.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Chestnut in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Chestnut's popularity has had a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was listed as the 4220th most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had slipped to 4478th place, indicating a decrease of 6.11%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Chestnut surname increased slightly from 7,772 in 2000 to 7,924 in 2010, a growth of 1.96%. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 6.6%, going from 2.88 in 2000 to 2.69 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,220 | #4,478 | -6.11% |
| Count | 7,772 | 7,924 | 1.96% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.88 | 2.69 | -6.6% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chestnut
In terms of ethnic identity associated with the Chestnut surname, there has been some fluctuation over the decade according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the majority of Chestnuts identified as White (57.96%) followed by Black (38.48%), with smaller percentages identifying as Two or more races (1.60%), Hispanic (1.18%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.42%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.35%). By 2010, while the highest proportions still identified as White and Black, with 55.88% and 39.64% respectively, there were notable changes among other groups. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic nearly doubled to 1.89%, and those reporting as Two or more races increased to 1.98%. However, the representation of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities both declined, standing at 0.35% and 0.25% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 57.96% | 55.88% | -3.59% |
| Black | 38.48% | 39.64% | 3.01% |
| Two or More Races | 1.6% | 1.98% | 23.75% |
| Hispanic | 1.18% | 1.89% | 60.17% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.35% | -16.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.35% | 0.25% | -28.57% |
Chestnut 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 Chestnut is British & Irish, which comprises 53.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.9%) and Nigerian (4.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.5% |
| French & German | 18.9% |
| Nigerian | 4.8% |
| Other | 22.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Chestnut
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 Chestnut have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.30% |
What Chestnut 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 Chestnut is R-L20, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L20 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-DF25 and E-M180, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dexter, Britton, Hearn, Laney, Whitlock, Brittain, Mercier, Lively, Romo, Bedell.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Chestnut surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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.
What do people with the surname Chestnut 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.
"Chestnut" Surname 55.6%
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.
"Chestnut" Surname 21.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Chestnut" Surname 22.0%
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.
"Chestnut" Surname 23.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Chestnut?
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 Chestnut are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition