Explore the Family Name Friend
The meaning of Friend
1. English: nickname for a companionable person, from Middle English frend, frond ‘friend’ (Old English frēond). In the Middle Ages the term was also used to denote a relative or kinsman, and the surname may also have been acquired by someone who belonged to the family of someone who was a more important figure in the community. Eleventh-century evidence for the word also shows it in use as a personal name (independently as Frent, 1086 in Essex, and as the first element in the placename Frindsbury in Kent). 2. Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘friend’, for example of Jewish and German Freund, Dutch Vriend, and Slovenian Prijatelj.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Friend in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Friend" has seen a minor shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 1908 in the list of most popular surnames, but fell to 2041 by 2010, marking a decrease of 6.97%. However, the total count of people with this surname rose by 1.87%, from 17,312 in 2000 to 17,635 in 2010. Despite this increase in count, the proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 6.85% during the same period, from 6.42 to 5.98.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,908 | #2,041 | -6.97% |
| Count | 17,312 | 17,635 | 1.87% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.42 | 5.98 | -6.85% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Friend
When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there were changes in the distribution among those with the surname "Friend" between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander doubled from 0.36% to 0.72%, and those identifying with two or more races increased by 43.75% to make up 2.07% of the total. The majority, at 86.40%, identified as White, though this was a slight decrease from the 87.74% in 2000. Hispanic representation grew by 24.11% to reach 2.78%. Individuals identifying as Black made up 7.30%, marking a slight decline from the 7.34% in 2000. Lastly, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native dropped by 17.98% to constitute 0.73% of the total.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.74% | 86.4% | -1.53% |
| Black | 7.34% | 7.3% | -0.54% |
| Hispanic | 2.24% | 2.78% | 24.11% |
| Two or More Races | 1.44% | 2.07% | 43.75% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.89% | 0.73% | -17.98% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.36% | 0.72% | 100% |
Friend 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 Friend is British & Irish, which comprises 44.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (27.5%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (6.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.9% |
| French & German | 27.5% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 6.4% |
| Other | 21.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Friend
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 Friend have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 81.90% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 81.40% |
What Friend 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 Friend is R-CTS4179, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS4179 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-L48 and J-M67, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Beard, Brandon, Baird, Newton, Squires, Faulk, Gunderson, Johnsen, Blake, Harker.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Friend surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Friend 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.
"Friend" Surname 45.0%
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.
"Friend" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Friend" Surname 18.5%
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.
"Friend" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Friend?
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 Friend are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition