Explore the Family Name Constant
The meaning of Constant
1. French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the French personal name Constant, which can be from Latin Constans, genitive Constantis, meaning ‘steadfast, faithful’ (from constans, present participle of the verb constare ‘stand fast, be consistent’), and also from Latin Constantius, a derivative of Constans, borne by a 2nd-century Christian martyr, bishop of Perugia. Compare Constantine. 2. American shortened form of French Constantineau. 3. American shortened (and altered) form of any of various Greek derivatives of the personal name Konstantinos or its variant Constantinos (see Constantin 2). 4. English: nickname from Middle English and Old French consta(u)nt ‘steadfast, resolute’ (from Latin constans; see 1 above). Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Jacques, Anatole, Andre, Berard, Fernand, Gardy, Gesner, Jean Claude, Nazaire, Normand, Pierre, Thierry.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Constant in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Constant" has steadily gained popularity during the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 8,119th in frequency and rose to 7,929th by 2010, showing a change of 2.34%. The number of individuals with this surname also increased from 3,762 in 2000 to 4,173 in 2010, indicating an increase of 10.93%. Consequently, the proportion of people named "Constant" per 100,000 people slightly increased from 1.39 in 2000 to 1.41 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,119 | #7,929 | 2.34% |
| Count | 3,762 | 4,173 | 10.93% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.39 | 1.41 | 1.44% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Constant
On the topic of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts over the same 10 year period. People with the surname "Constant" identifying as Black saw the highest increase, from 22.57% in 2000 to 30.19% in 2010, marking a significant 33.76% change. Those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a dramatic percentage change (141.67%), but the overall proportions remained low, moving from 0.24% in 2000 to 0.58% in 2010. There was a slight increase among those identifying as Hispanic (from 2.42% to 2.97%) while those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 0.37% to 0.48%. However, there were decreases in the percentages of those classified as White and those identifying with two or more races. The proportion of those identifying as White dropped from 71.16% to 63.31% and those identifying with two or more races decreased from 3.24% to 2.47%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 71.16% | 63.31% | -11.03% |
| Black | 22.57% | 30.19% | 33.76% |
| Hispanic | 2.42% | 2.97% | 22.73% |
| Two or More Races | 3.24% | 2.47% | -23.77% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.24% | 0.58% | 141.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.48% | 29.73% |
Constant 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 Constant is British & Irish, which comprises 34.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.0%) and Spanish & Portuguese (7.0%). Additional ancestries include Greek & Balkan, Italian, Nigerian, Eastern European, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 34.0% |
| French & German | 24.0% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 7.0% |
| Other | 35.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Constant
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 Constant have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 67.50% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 67.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 67.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 67.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 66.20% |
What Constant 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 Constant is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Constant surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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.
What do people with the surname Constant 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.
"Constant" Surname 33.3%
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.
"Constant" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Constant" Surname 25.0%
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.
"Constant" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Constant?
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 Constant are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition