Explore the Family Name Crittenden

The meaning of Crittenden

English (Kent): habitational name from Crittenden or from a lost place called Cruttenden in Headcorn (both in Kent). The former is named with the Old English personal name Gūthhere + Old English -ing- denoting association with + Old English denn ‘woodland pasture’. History: The statesman John Jordan Crittenden, who was born near Versailles, KY, in 1787, was of Welsh descent on his father’s side. His immigrant ancestor arrived in VA before 1650. His father, a major in the American Revolution, moved from VA to KY and settled in Woodford Co.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Crittenden has slightly decreased between 2000 and 2010. While it was ranked 5049th in 2000, it fell to 5432nd in rank by 2010, indicating a decrease in popularity by 7.59%. However, the actual count of individuals with the surname Crittenden showed a minor increase from 6374 in 2000 to 6411 in 2010, an increase of 0.58%. The proportion per 100k also decreased by 8.05% during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#5,049#5,432-7.59%
Count6,3746,4110.58%
Proportion per 100k2.362.17-8.05%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Crittenden

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals changes in the ethnic identity of those bearing the Crittenden surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics with this surname rose by 100% and 56.04% respectively, while those identifying as Two or more races increased by 41.76%. Meanwhile, the number of Whites identifying with this surname saw a decrease of 5.05%. The proportion of Blacks and American Indian and Alaskan Natives bearing the Crittenden surname saw slight increases, at 3.04% and 4.37% respectively.

20002010Change
White66.49%63.13%-5.05%
Black25.02%25.78%3.04%
Two or More Races2.73%3.87%41.76%
American Indian and Alaskan Native3.66%3.82%4.37%
Hispanic1.82%2.84%56.04%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.28%0.56%100%

Crittenden 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 Crittenden is British & Irish, which comprises 52.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.1%) and Nigerian (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Indigenous American, and Eastern European.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.2%
French & German22.1%
Nigerian4.4%
Other21.3%
Crittenden

Possible origins of the surname Crittenden

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 Crittenden have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom85.80%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom85.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom85.80%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom85.00%
Lancashire, United Kingdom85.00%

What Crittenden 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 Crittenden is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z326 and I-M170, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Littleton, Leake, Anders, Strader, Cunningham, Dudley, Powell, Garner, O'Neal, Wynn.

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

crittendenPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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 Crittenden 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

Crittenden

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Crittenden" Surname 53.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Crittenden

Misophonia

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

"Crittenden" Surname 30.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Crittenden

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Crittenden" Surname 23.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Crittenden

Migraine

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

"Crittenden" Surname 18.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Crittenden?

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 Crittenden 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%