Explore the Family Name Cline

The meaning of Cline

1. Americanized form of German or Dutch Klein or a Jewish (Ashkenazic) variant of this name. 2. English: variant of Clyne.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname 'Cline' saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010, dropping in rank from 628 to 684. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname increased by 2.22 percent, from 49,167 to 50,258 during the same time period. This increase in count was not sufficient to maintain its rank due to the proportion per 100,000 falling from 18.23 to 17.04, a decrease of 6.53 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#628#684-8.92%
Count49,16750,2582.22%
Proportion per 100k18.2317.04-6.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cline

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts for individuals bearing the Cline surname between 2000 and 2010. The largest ethnic group remained those identifying as White, although their percentage decreased slightly from 94.18 to 92.86 percent. Meanwhile, there were increases across all other reported ethnicities. Specifically, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic saw significant increases, with their proportions rising by 45.71 and 42.86 percent respectively. Those identifying as Two or more races also saw an increase of 38.79 percent. Smaller increases were observed among those identified as Black (an increase of 2.38 percent) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (an increase of 7.41 percent).

20002010Change
White94.18%92.86%-1.4%
Black2.1%2.15%2.38%
Hispanic1.4%2%42.86%
Two or More Races1.16%1.61%38.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.81%0.87%7.41%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.35%0.51%45.71%

Cline 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 Cline is British & Irish, which comprises 53.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.3%) and Eastern European (3.5%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish53.2%
French & German29.3%
Eastern European3.5%
Other14.0%
Cline

Possible origins of the surname Cline

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom91.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom91.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom91.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom91.40%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom91.40%

What Cline 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 Cline is G-Z6773, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup G-Z6773 is descended from haplogroup G-M201. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and G-Z30771, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kline, Miller, King, Weber, Schneider, Smith, Paul, Wagner, Fisher, Kramer.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cline surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

clinePaternal Haplogroup Origins G-M201
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991, protruding from a snow-bank high in the Alps near the Austrian-Italian border. His 5,300-year-old remains turned out to be so well preserved that researchers were able to construct a detailed account of his life and death. Chemical analysis of Ötzi's teeth indicates he came from the Italian side of the Alps. He had suffered during the year before his death with whipworm, a stomach parasite that was found in his digestive tract. Yet he was fit enough to climb 6,500 feet in elevation during the day or two before he met his end in a rocky alpine hollow. Ötzi apparently was murdered, struck by a stone arrow point that was found lodged in his left shoulder. The twisted position of his body indicates that the murderer, or one of his accomplices, pulled the arrow's shaft out of Ötzi's prone body.Yet whoever killed Ötzi did not take the valuable and finely wrought copper axe that he carried with him — an indicator that at the age of 45, the Ice Man may have been a figure of some importance in his community. Recently, scientists who were able to extract DNA from Ötzi's remains discovered that he belonged to a paternal lineage that stems from haplogroup G-M201. Today, Ötzi's lineage reaches its highest levels in Sardinia and Corsica, and was once common among early European farmers.

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 Cline 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

Cline

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Cline" Surname 42.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Cline

Misophonia

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

"Cline" Surname 25.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Cline

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Cline" Surname 26.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Cline

Migraine

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

"Cline" Surname 18.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Cline?

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 Cline 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%