Explore the Family Name Dubois
The meaning of Dubois
French, Walloon, and English (of French Huguenot origin): topographic name, with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’, for someone living or working in a wood (see Bois), or a habitational name for someone from any of several places in various parts of France and in Belgium (Wallonia) named Le Bois. This is the most frequent surname in Wallonia. It is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Haiti. In both England and North America it is sometimes translated into English as Wood 1 or Woods 3. Compare Deboe, Debois, Deboy, Duboise, and Dubose. History: This surname is listed (in the form Du Bois) in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America. One of the several Huguenot ancestors bearing this name was Chrétien Du Bois from Flanders, whose son, Louis Du Bois (born 1626 in Lille, France, died 1696 in Kingston, NY), was among the Huguenots who founded the town of New Paltz, NY, 1675–8. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Armand, Normand, Jacques, Pierre, Fernand, Marcel, Emile, Lucien, Michel, Alain, Luc.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dubois in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Dubois has seen a shift over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1459th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had slipped slightly to the 1539th position, representing a decrease of 5.48%. However, the actual count of people with the Dubois surname increased from 22,455 in 2000 to 23,366 in 2010, marking an increase of 4.06%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the Dubois surname per 100,000 decreased by 4.81% during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,459 | #1,539 | -5.48% |
| Count | 22,455 | 23,366 | 4.06% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.32 | 7.92 | -4.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dubois
The ethnicity distribution for the surname Dubois also experienced changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of those identifying as White dropped slightly from 88.14% to 86.22%, while the proportion of those identifying as Black saw a slight rise from 5.84% to 6.30%. The largest increase was seen among those who identified as Hispanic, increasing from 2.38% to 3.30%. There were also minor increases in the proportion of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native. Those who identified with two or more ethnic identities rose from 1.62% to 1.98%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.14% | 86.22% | -2.18% |
| Black | 5.84% | 6.3% | 7.88% |
| Hispanic | 2.38% | 3.3% | 38.66% |
| Two or More Races | 1.62% | 1.98% | 22.22% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.46% | 1.51% | 3.42% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.57% | 0.68% | 19.3% |
Dubois 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 Dubois is British & Irish, which comprises 39.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (31.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.2%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 39.5% |
| French & German | 31.8% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 6.2% |
| Other | 22.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Dubois
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 Dubois have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 71.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 71.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 71.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 70.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 70.60% |
What Dubois 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 Dubois is I-Y7477, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Y7477 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-L1498, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Payne, Richards, Morrison, Dickinson, Morgan, Lloyd, Price, Davis, Phillips, Jones.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dubois 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 Dubois 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.
"Dubois" Surname 39.2%
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.
"Dubois" Surname 34.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dubois" Surname 23.9%
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.
"Dubois" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dubois?
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 Dubois are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition