Explore the Family Name Fairley
The meaning of Fairley
1. Scottish: habitational name from any of several places called from Old English fæger ‘beautiful’ or fearn ‘fern’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. Primarily from Fairlie in Ayrshire, but perhaps occasionally from other places similarly named, such as Fairley (Northumberland), Fairlee in Newport (Isle of Wight) and Fairliehope (Linton, Peeblesshire). A Scots family once known as de Ros adopted the name Fairlie when granted lands at Fairlie, Ayrshire by Robert the Bruce. 2. Irish: variant of Farrelly, from Ó Fearghaile.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fairley in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Fairley has been marginally increasing in the United States. In 2000, it was ranked as the 5569th most common surname, but by 2010 it had risen to the 5441st position, indicating a change of 2.3%. The actual count of individuals bearing the name also increased from 5723 in 2000 to 6398 in 2010, marking an 11.79% growth. Consequently, the proportion of U.S. residents named Fairley per 100,000 also experienced a slight increase, moving from 2.12 to 2.17 over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,569 | #5,441 | 2.3% |
| Count | 5,723 | 6,398 | 11.79% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.12 | 2.17 | 2.36% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fairley
In terms of ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some interesting shifts among those with the surname Fairley. While the largest percentage identified as Black, decreasing slightly from 64.09% in 2000 to 63.21% in 2010, it's worth noting that there were significant increases in other ethnic categories. The Hispanic population nearly doubled, from 1.07% to 1.95%, and the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native groups both saw substantial growth rates of 37.5% and 57.89%, respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as belonging to two or more races increased by 36.76%, while the White population saw a slight decrease, from 32.55% to 31.68% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 64.09% | 63.21% | -1.37% |
| White | 32.55% | 31.68% | -2.67% |
| Two or More Races | 1.85% | 2.53% | 36.76% |
| Hispanic | 1.07% | 1.95% | 82.24% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.24% | 0.33% | 37.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.19% | 0.3% | 57.89% |
Fairley 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 Fairley is British & Irish, which comprises 57.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (11.2%) and Nigerian (10.7%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Angolan & Congolese, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Senegambian & Guinean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.7% |
| French & German | 11.2% |
| Nigerian | 10.7% |
| Other | 20.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Fairley
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 Fairley have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 72.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 72.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 71.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 71.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 71.80% |
What Fairley 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 Fairley is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fairley surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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 Fairley 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.
"Fairley" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Fairley" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Fairley" Surname 19.2%
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.
"Fairley" Surname 11.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Fairley?
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 Fairley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition