Explore the Family Name Ellington

The meaning of Ellington

English: habitational name from any of several places called Ellington (Hampshire, Kent, North Yorkshire, and Northumberland), named either from Old English æl, ēl ‘eel’ or from the Old English personal name Ella or Eli (a short form of various compound names with the first element ælf ‘elf’) + Old English connective -ing- + tūn ‘farmstead’. However, Ellington in Kent has its first element from the Old English byname Ealda ‘old’.

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

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

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the popularity of the surname Ellington has seen a slight decrease in rank, moving from 3010 in 2000 to 3132 in 2010, representing a 4.05% drop. However, despite its fall in rank, the actual count of people with the surname Ellington increased by 4.46%, from 11,030 in 2000 to 11,522 in 2010. This change also reflected in the proportion per 100k, which saw a small decline of approximately 4.4%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,010#3,132-4.05%
Count11,03011,5224.46%
Proportion per 100k4.093.91-4.4%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ellington

Regarding ethnicity, the same census data reveals some shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the surname Ellington. In 2010, the majority of individuals with the Ellington surname identified as White (62.74%), followed by Black (31.00%). While the percentage of Whites decreased slightly from 65.83% in 2000, the percentage of Blacks rose modestly from 29.29% over the same period. The surname also saw significant increases among Hispanics, from 2.13% in 2000 to 3.09% in 2010, and those identifying with two or more races, from 1.96% to 2.25%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively low but showed growth from 2000 to 2010, at 0.49% and 0.43% respectively.

20002010Change
White65.83%62.74%-4.69%
Black29.29%31%5.84%
Hispanic2.13%3.09%45.07%
Two or More Races1.96%2.25%14.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.43%0.49%13.95%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.36%0.43%19.44%

Ellington 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 Ellington is British & Irish, which comprises 55.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.7%) and Nigerian (6.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Angolan & Congolese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish55.3%
French & German16.7%
Nigerian6.1%
Other21.8%
Ellington

Possible origins of the surname Ellington

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom77.80%
Merseyside, United Kingdom77.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom77.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom77.80%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom77.80%

What Ellington 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 Ellington is R-Z282, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z282 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include E-U290 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sample, Morrill, Ledford, Orr, Garnett, Copeland, Lea, Hanks, Cory, Settle.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ellington surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

ellingtonPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

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 Ellington 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

Ellington

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Ellington" Surname 44.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Ellington

Misophonia

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

"Ellington" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Ellington

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Ellington" Surname 28.8%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Ellington

Migraine

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

"Ellington" Surname 20.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Ellington?

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 Ellington 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%