Explore the Family Name Finnerty

The meaning of Finnerty

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fionnachta (often now written Ó Fiannachta) ‘descendant of Fionnachta’, a personal name composed of the elements fionn ‘fair, white’ + sneachta ‘snow’. The phonetic exchange of ch and r occurs in other names. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Aidan, Cormac.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Finnerty saw a slight shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The Finnerty name ranked 7663rd in popularity in 2000 but dropped to 8184th in 2010, marking a decrease of 6.8%. However, despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people bearing this surname experienced a marginal increase of 1.2% from 4004 in 2000 to 4052 in 2010. Therefore, the proportion of people with the Finnerty surname per 100k population also decreased by 7.43%, from 1.48 in 2000 to 1.37 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#7,663#8,184-6.8%
Count4,0044,0521.2%
Proportion per 100k1.481.37-7.43%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Finnerty

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Finnerty has also seen some changes over the course of ten years as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, a significant majority (96.83%) of those with the Finnerty surname identified as White, while in 2010, this number declined slightly to 94.92%. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic more than doubled, from 1.17% in 2000 to 2.81% in 2010. Similarly, the percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and of two or more races increased by 34.00% and 42.22%, respectively. Conversely, the percentage of those identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native both decreased, by 50.00% and 40.00% respectively.

20002010Change
White96.83%94.92%-1.97%
Hispanic1.17%2.81%140.17%
Two or More Races0.9%1.28%42.22%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.5%0.67%34%
Black0.4%0.2%-50%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.2%0.12%-40%

Finnerty 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 Finnerty is British & Irish, which comprises 58.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.1%) and Eastern European (7.4%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Greek & Balkan.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish58.7%
French & German16.1%
Eastern European7.4%
Other17.9%
Finnerty

Possible origins of the surname Finnerty

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom91.60%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom91.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom91.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom91.60%
Greater London, United Kingdom91.60%

What Finnerty 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 Finnerty 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-L1066.1 and R-S661, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mckean, Mckenna, Maxwell, Mcmahan, Brannan, Mcnulty, Mccain, Mcguinness, Turnbull, Monaghan.

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

finnertyPaternal 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 Finnerty 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

Finnerty

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Finnerty" Surname 53.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Finnerty

Misophonia

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

"Finnerty" Surname 34.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Finnerty

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Finnerty" Surname 22.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Finnerty

Migraine

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

"Finnerty" Surname 17.6%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Finnerty?

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 Finnerty 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%