Explore the Family Name Dodd
The meaning of Dodd
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Dodd(e), Dudd(e), Old English Dodd(a), Dudd(a), a name of uncertain origin which remained in fairly widespread and frequent use from Lincolnshire to Devon and from Essex to Lancashire in England until the 14th century. 2. English: nickname from Middle English dod, a word of uncertain meaning, possibly a ‘lumpish, thickset person’ (compare modern English dialect dod ‘bunch or heap’), or by extension a ‘foolish person’ (compare Middle English dode-mused ‘stupid’), or perhaps a derivative of dodden ‘to shave (the head), to trim (hair)’, hence ‘the hairless or close-cropped one’. 3. English: possibly a modern variant of Daud or Dowd, the former arising from the Middle English personal name Daud(e), an extended form of Daw, and the latter from the Middle English personal name Doude, perhaps a side-form of either Dodde or of Daude, a pet form of Ralph. 4. Irish: of English origin (see 1 above), taken to Sligo in the 16th century by a Shropshire family; also sometimes adopted by bearers of the Gaelic name Ó Dubhda (see Dowd). History: Daniel and Mary Dod, natives of England, emigrated to Branford, CT, c.1645.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dodd in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Dodd has seen minor shifts over a decade. In 2000, Dodd ranked 1065 in popularity with a count of 30,029 individuals carrying the name, or approximately 11.13 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had dropped slightly to 1144, despite an increase in the actual count to 30,732, representing around 10.42 per 100,000 people. This represents a slight decrease in overall popularity of -7.42% and a population increase of 2.34%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,065 | #1,144 | -7.42% |
| Count | 30,029 | 30,732 | 2.34% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.13 | 10.42 | -6.38% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dodd
The ethnicity associated with the surname Dodd also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of Dodd bearers identified as White, making up 85.74% in 2000 and 83.52% in 2010. Those identifying as Black accounted for 10.01% in 2000 and increased to 10.67% in 2010. Individuals identifying as Hispanic represented 1.57% in 2000 and saw a significant increase to 2.43% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or of two or more races also saw increases, with the latter group increasing from 1.37% to 1.97%. American Indian and Alaskan Native representation remained relatively stable at 0.65% in 2000 and 0.66% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.74% | 83.52% | -2.59% |
| Black | 10.01% | 10.67% | 6.59% |
| Hispanic | 1.57% | 2.43% | 54.78% |
| Two or More Races | 1.37% | 1.97% | 43.8% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.67% | 0.76% | 13.43% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.66% | 1.54% |
Dodd 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 Dodd is British & Irish, which comprises 59.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.6%) and Scandinavian (2.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.4% |
| French & German | 21.6% |
| Scandinavian | 2.9% |
| Other | 16.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Dodd
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 Dodd have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 90.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 90.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 90.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 90.60% |
What Dodd 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 Dodd is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Jarvis, Lowe, Stevenson, Hartmann, Shaw, Stephenson, Croft, Edwards, Humphrey, Paterson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dodd surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
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 Dodd 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.
"Dodd" Surname 45.7%
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.
"Dodd" Surname 31.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dodd" Surname 24.9%
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.
"Dodd" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dodd?
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 Dodd are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition