Explore the Family Name Church
The meaning of Church
1. English: topographic name mostly found in southern and midland England, for someone who lived near a church, or possibly an occupational name for someone who worked at a church, such as a verger or sexton, from Middle English chirche ‘church’. The word comes from Old English cyrice, ultimately from medieval Greek kyrikon, for earlier kyriakōn (dōma) ‘(house) of the Lord’, from kyrios ‘lord’. Compare Kirk. 2. Americanized form (translation into English) of German Kirch.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Church in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Church' experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked at 890th in popularity, but by 2010 it had dropped to 966th place, marking an 8.54% decrease. However, despite its drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the 'Church' surname increased by 1.5% from 35,539 in 2000 to 36,072 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #890 | #966 | -8.54% |
| Count | 35,539 | 36,072 | 1.5% |
| Proportion per 100k | 13.17 | 12.23 | -7.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Church
Turning to ethnicity, the distribution of the 'Church' surname among different ethnic identities shifted somewhat from 2000 to 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest percentage of people with this surname identified as White, though this group's proportion decreased slightly from 90.86% in 2000 to 89.18% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic saw the most significant increase, jumping by 50% from 1.44% in 2000 to 2.16% in 2010. The proportion of people with the 'Church' surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native also increased over this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.86% | 89.18% | -1.85% |
| Black | 5.22% | 5.75% | 10.15% |
| Hispanic | 1.44% | 2.16% | 50% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 1.63% | 15.6% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.7% | 0.82% | 17.14% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.47% | 27.03% |
Church 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 Church is British & Irish, which comprises 52.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.9%) and Scandinavian (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.7% |
| French & German | 26.9% |
| Scandinavian | 3.8% |
| Other | 16.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Church
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 Church have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
What Church 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 Church is I-L1198, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L1198 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-Z209 and I-L233, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bernard, Peters, Glover, Day, Taylor, Smith, Winter, Green, Lucas, Lang.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Church surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your 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 Church 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.
"Church" Surname 45.1%
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.
"Church" Surname 29.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Church" Surname 28.9%
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.
"Church" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Church?
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 Church are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition