Explore the Family Name Dee
The meaning of Dee
1. Welsh: Anglicized form of Welsh du ‘dark, black’, pronounced /di:/ in south Wales, and spelled Dee in English records. 2. Irish: shortened form of O’Day (from Ó Deaghaidh). 3. Chinese: variant of Di. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 李, see Li 1.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dee in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Dee has seen a shift in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Dee ranked as the 5222nd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped slightly to the 5535th position, marking a decline of approximately 6%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Dee surname increased from 6144 in 2000 to 6275 in 2010, showing a growth of roughly 2%. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the presence of the Dee surname fell by about 6.58%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,222 | #5,535 | -5.99% |
| Count | 6,144 | 6,275 | 2.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.28 | 2.13 | -6.58% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dee
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows changing trends for the surname Dee from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those claiming two or more races increased over the decade, by around 31% and 20% respectively. While the White ethnic identity remained predominant, there was a decrease of just over 5%. Individuals identifying as Hispanic showed the highest growth at approximately 36%, albeit from a smaller base. The number of Black individuals remained relatively stable with a slight decrease of 1.10%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw an increase of nearly 12%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.3% | 72.48% | -5.01% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 7.78% | 10.2% | 31.11% |
| Black | 8.19% | 8.1% | -1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 4.18% | 4.67% | 11.72% |
| Hispanic | 1.86% | 2.53% | 36.02% |
| Two or More Races | 1.69% | 2.02% | 19.53% |
Dee 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 Dee is British & Irish, which comprises 45.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.9%) and Eastern European (6.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Chinese, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 45.3% |
| French & German | 17.9% |
| Eastern European | 6.6% |
| Other | 30.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Dee
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 Dee have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 71.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 71.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 71.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 71.00% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 71.00% |
What Dee 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 Dee is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-CTS3655, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sager, John, Phillips, Evans, Nicholls, Welsh, Humphreys, Thomson, Morgan, Mcdonald.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dee surname are: M, H1, H. 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 Dee 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.
"Dee" Surname 26.7%
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.
"Dee" Surname 25.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dee" Surname 14.1%
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.
"Dee" Surname 14.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dee?
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 Dee are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition