Explore the Family Name Fawcett

The meaning of Fawcett

English (northern): habitational name from Fawcett in Grayrigg, Westmorland or Facit in Lancashire, both named from Old English fāg ‘multi-colored’ + sīde ‘slope, hillside’. A further possible source, Forcett in North Yorkshire, is named from Old Norse fors ‘waterfall’ + sætr ‘shieling’, meaning ‘shieling by a waterfall’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Fawcett has seen some changes in its popularity over the years. In 2000, it ranked at number 5218 but by 2010, it had slightly dropped to rank 5454, a decrease of 4.52%. However, despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Fawcett surname increased from 6149 in 2000 to 6381 in 2010, marking a growth of 3.77%. The proportion of the population with this surname per 100,000 people decreased by 5.26% during the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#5,218#5,454-4.52%
Count6,1496,3813.77%
Proportion per 100k2.282.16-5.26%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fawcett

Turning to ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that in the year 2000, the majority of those with the surname Fawcett identified as White, making up 94.02% of the total. This percentage, however, dropped to 92.40% in 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic and Two or more races categories saw significant increases, with the former group growing by 50.29% and the latter by 41.18%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw an increase of 10.67%, while those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native saw smaller increases of 15.00% and 6.15% respectively.

20002010Change
White94.02%92.4%-1.72%
Hispanic1.71%2.57%50.29%
Two or More Races1.02%1.44%41.18%
Black1.2%1.38%15%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.3%1.38%6.15%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.75%0.83%10.67%

Fawcett 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 Fawcett is British & Irish, which comprises 56.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.2%) and Scandinavian (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish56.9%
French & German23.2%
Scandinavian3.4%
Other16.5%
Fawcett

Possible origins of the surname Fawcett

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 Fawcett have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom91.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom91.20%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom90.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom90.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom90.30%

What Fawcett 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 Fawcett is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-Z159, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Middleton, Maxwell, Justice, Cody, Moon, Blythe, Barlow, Beers, Prince, Trimble.

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

fawcettPaternal 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 Fawcett 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

Fawcett

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Fawcett" Surname 29.4%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Fawcett

Misophonia

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

"Fawcett" Surname 25.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Fawcett

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Fawcett" Surname 18.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Fawcett

Migraine

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

"Fawcett" Surname 17.6%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Fawcett?

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 Fawcett 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%