Explore the Family Name Fee
The meaning of Fee
1. Irish: shortened form of O’Fee, Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fiaich ‘descendant of Fiach’, a byname meaning ‘raven’. This name has sometimes been mistranslated as Hunt as a result of confusion with fiach, the modern spelling of fiadhach ‘hunt’. 2. English: from Middle English fe(e) ‘fee’ (Anglo-Norman French fee, Latin feodum), for someone who held a fee, which in the medieval period was an estate held in heritable or perpetual tenure to a feudal superior or the Crown.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fee in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Fee saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 4819, with a prevalence of 6687 out of every 100k people in the United States. However, by 2010, its ranking had fallen to 5394, with the count dropping slightly to 6453 per 100k individuals, representing a change of -3.5%. The proportion of people named Fee for every 100,000 individuals also decreased from 2.48 in 2000 to 2.19 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,819 | #5,394 | -11.93% |
| Count | 6,687 | 6,453 | -3.5% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.48 | 2.19 | -11.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fee
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows that in 2000, 91.36% of those with the surname Fee identified as White, which rose slightly to 91.80% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander fell from 2.27% in 2000 to 1.36% in 2010. The data also indicates a rise within those who identify as Hispanic from 1.15% in 2000 to 2.15% in 2010. Those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native saw reductions of 28.83% and 5.80% respectively. Interestingly, there was an increase in individuals reporting two or more races, from 1.20% in 2000 to 1.66% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.36% | 91.8% | 0.48% |
| Black | 3.33% | 2.37% | -28.83% |
| Hispanic | 1.15% | 2.15% | 86.96% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 1.66% | 38.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.27% | 1.36% | -40.09% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.69% | 0.65% | -5.8% |
Fee 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 Fee is British & Irish, which comprises 60.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.5%) and Scandinavian (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Korean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.9% |
| French & German | 21.5% |
| Scandinavian | 4.4% |
| Other | 13.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Fee
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 Fee have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 90.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 90.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 90.40% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 89.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.70% |
What Fee 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 Fee is R-DF88, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-DF88 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS2501, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Erskine, Gorman, Sanderson, Neil, Mcintire, Foy, Mcclellan, Mcewan, Major, Mcclelland.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fee surname are: H1, K1a, 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 Fee 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.
"Fee" Surname 36.4%
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.
"Fee" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Fee" Surname 25.0%
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.
"Fee" Surname 15.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Fee?
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 Fee are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition