Explore the Family Name Criss
The meaning of Criss
1. Americanized form of German Gries or Kress. Compare Kriss. 2. American shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of the personal name Christos. Compare Chriss. 3. American shortened and altered form of Bulgarian or Macedonian Hristov (compare Christoff) and Kristov (see Kristoff), and also of some other related or similarly pronounced Slavic surnames (see Kris). Compare Kriss.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Criss in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data on surname popularity, the surname Criss saw a slight decline in rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 6785th most popular to 7066th. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased by 3.43% during the same period, growing from 4,581 in 2000 to 4,738 in 2010. It should be noted though that the proportion of people with this surname per 100k population decreased by 5.29%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,785 | #7,066 | -4.14% |
| Count | 4,581 | 4,738 | 3.43% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.7 | 1.61 | -5.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Criss
With regard to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diversity among those bearing the surname Criss. As of 2010, the majority identified as White (72.75%), a slight decrease from 2000, when it was 74.09%. Those who identify as Black have remained relatively stable at around 22%. Interestingly, there were notable increases among those who identified as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, with changes of 62.10%, 22.37%, and 29.27% respectively. Those identifying with two or more ethnicities also increased to 1.77% in 2010 from 1.51% in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.09% | 72.75% | -1.81% |
| Black | 21.98% | 22.01% | 0.14% |
| Hispanic | 1.24% | 2.01% | 62.1% |
| Two or More Races | 1.51% | 1.77% | 17.22% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.76% | 0.93% | 22.37% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.53% | 29.27% |
Criss 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 Criss is British & Irish, which comprises 46.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (27.7%) and Italian (5.8%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.8% |
| French & German | 27.7% |
| Italian | 5.8% |
| Other | 19.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Criss
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 Criss have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
What Criss 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 Criss 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 E-P179 and R-Z301, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Fenner, Denis, Phoenix, Overton, Wiggins, Larose, Palmer, Storey, Tibbs, Schmitz.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Criss surname are: H1, H, T2. 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 Criss 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.
"Criss" Surname 38.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Criss" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Criss" Surname 29.5%
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.
"Criss" Surname 23.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Criss?
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 Criss are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition