Explore the Family Name Eddy
The meaning of Eddy
1. Cornish: from the personal name Edy (pronounced ‘eedy’), a variant of Udy, from the Middle English personal name Ude, Udy, Latinized as Udo and Odo. It may represent Old French Eude (ancient Germanic Eudo, of uncertain etymology), whose usual Latin form is Eudo. This agrees with later evidence that the original pronunciation of the initial vowel of Udy was /y:/ (as in French tu), though in the 16th century it was sometimes unrounded to /i:/, spelled -e(e)-. It was later altered to Eddy. 2. English: variant of Eady. 3. English: perhaps from a shortened form of the Middle English personal name Edwy (Old English Ēadwīg, from ēad ‘prosperity, fortune’ + wīg ‘war’), which has not survived in that form as a surname. 4. Americanized form of Norwegian Eide.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Eddy in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Eddy" has experienced a slight decline from the year 2000 to 2010. In 2000, this surname was ranked 1710 in terms of popularity and it fell to 1858 in 2010, marking an 8.65 percent decrease in rank. Despite this drop in rank, the count of individuals with the surname Eddy actually saw a modest increase of about 0.47 percent, growing from 19,230 in 2000 to 19,321 in 2010. However, when calculated per 100,000 people, the proportion saw an 8.13 percent decrease over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,710 | #1,858 | -8.65% |
| Count | 19,230 | 19,321 | 0.47% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.13 | 6.55 | -8.13% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Eddy
Examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Eddy, the census data shows various changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 58.54 percent, while those identifying as two or more races grew by 25 percent. The largest growth occurred among those of Hispanic ethnicity, with a 67.28 percent increase. Conversely, individuals who identified as White represented the majority of Eddys, although their percentage slightly decreased by 1.88 percent. The percentage of Black Eddys also increased slightly by 8.68 percent. Meanwhile, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native witnessed a decline of 12.38 percent. All these shifts in representation reflect the evolving ethnic makeup of individuals carrying the Eddy surname according to the Decennial U.S. Census.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.84% | 91.09% | -1.88% |
| Black | 2.88% | 3.13% | 8.68% |
| Hispanic | 1.62% | 2.71% | 67.28% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 1.5% | 25% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.05% | 0.92% | -12.38% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.65% | 58.54% |
Eddy 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 Eddy is British & Irish, which comprises 51.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.6%) and Scandinavian (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.6% |
| French & German | 25.6% |
| Scandinavian | 4.4% |
| Other | 18.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Eddy
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 Eddy have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
What Eddy 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 Eddy 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-CTS241 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Barrow, Hills, Keyes, Humphries, Colvin, Sexton, Alford, Jack, Griffith, O'Neal.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Eddy surname are: H1, T2b, 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 Eddy 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.
"Eddy" Surname 41.9%
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.
"Eddy" Surname 32.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Eddy" Surname 22.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Cat Allergy
An allergic reaction to cats, characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing.
"Eddy" Surname 31.6%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Eddy?
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 Eddy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition