Explore the Family Name Etheridge

The meaning of Etheridge

English: 1. from the Middle English personal name Etherich, a variant of Old English Æthelrīc (see Aldridge). 2. sometimes perhaps a variant of Edridge, from the Middle English personal name Edrich, Edrick (Old English Ēadrīc, from ēad ‘prosperity’ + rīc ‘powerful’).

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Etheridge saw a slight shift between 2000 and 2010. The ranking of the surname went down from 3,271 in 2000 to 3,425 in 2010, reflecting a decrease of 4.71%. Despite this drop in rank, the count of individuals bearing the Etheridge surname increased by 3.77%, from 10,041 in 2000 to 10,420 in 2010. This indicates that while the name became less common relative to other surnames, the actual number of people with this surname grew. The proportion of people named Etheridge per 100,000 also declined slightly by 5.11%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,271#3,425-4.71%
Count10,04110,4203.77%
Proportion per 100k3.723.53-5.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Etheridge

The Decennial U.S. Census data on the ethnic identity associated with the Etheridge surname shows some interesting shifts over the same period. In 2010, the largest proportion of people with this last name identified as White (74.68%), a minor decrease from 76.47% in 2000. Those identifying as Black made up the second-largest group, with an increase from 19.61% in 2000 to 20.07% in 2010. There were notable percentage increases amongst those who identified as Hispanic (an increase from 1.66% to 2.34%) and those reporting two or more races (rising from 1.40% to 1.93%). People of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native descent represented smaller percentages, but both groups saw growth within the decade.

20002010Change
White76.47%74.68%-2.34%
Black19.61%20.07%2.35%
Hispanic1.66%2.34%40.96%
Two or More Races1.4%1.93%37.86%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.58%0.65%12.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.28%0.33%17.86%

Etheridge 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 Etheridge is British & Irish, which comprises 62.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.4%) and Nigerian (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish62.5%
French & German18.4%
Nigerian3.4%
Other15.7%
Etheridge

Possible origins of the surname Etheridge

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.60%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom86.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom86.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom86.60%
Greater London, United Kingdom86.60%

What Etheridge 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 Etheridge is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ramey, Cash, Dodson, Rounds, Hitchcock, Granger, Cronin, Stauffer, Ethridge, Cave.

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

etheridgePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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 Etheridge 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

Etheridge

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Etheridge" Surname 55.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Etheridge

Misophonia

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

"Etheridge" Surname 28.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Etheridge

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Etheridge" Surname 20.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Etheridge

Migraine

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

"Etheridge" Surname 19.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Etheridge?

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 Etheridge 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%