Explore the Family Name Gandy
The meaning of Gandy
English: 1. possibly a nickname from Old French gandie ‘pretence, trick, trickery’. 2. alternatively, perhaps from a shortened form of the Old French personal name Gandin, a pet form of ancient Germanic names beginning with Wand- ‘turn, wind’ or more likely Gand- (of uncertain etymology). In Cheshire, Middle English variation between Gond- and Gand- is probably due to dialect rounding of original -a- before -n(d)-. In south England, however, the variation is difficult to explain (see 3 below). 3. in south England possibly a variant of Gander, with substitution of -y for weakly stressed -er. — No evidence has been found to support the claim of Reaney and Wilson, citing John Gameday, 1327 in Subsidy Rolls (Suffolk), that the name derives from Middle English Gameday ‘servant of Game’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gandy in the United States?
In terms of popularity, the surname Gandy witnessed a slight decline between 2000 and 2010 according to data based on the Decennial U.S. Census. Ranked as the 3,290th most popular surname in the United States in 2000, it fell to the 3,417th position by 2010, marking a decrease of 3.86%. However, there was an increase in the actual count of people with the Gandy surname, from 9,990 individuals in 2000 to 10,444 by 2010, equating to a rise of 4.54%. The proportion per 100k also experienced a slight dip from 3.7 in 2000 to 3.54 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,290 | #3,417 | -3.86% |
| Count | 9,990 | 10,444 | 4.54% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.7 | 3.54 | -4.32% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gandy
The ethnic identity linked with the Gandy surname showed some changes over the course of a decade, as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census. In the year 2000, those identified as White were the highest at 68.54%, followed by Black at 27.06%. However, by 2010, although White remained the majority at 65.94%, there was a significant surge in the Hispanic ethnicity, more than doubling from 1.35% to 2.53%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained steady at 0.88%, whereas the percentage of those reporting as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a minor hike from 0.43% to 0.52%. Individuals associating with two or more races also rose notably from 1.74% to 2.34% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68.54% | 65.94% | -3.79% |
| Black | 27.06% | 27.8% | 2.73% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 2.53% | 87.41% |
| Two or More Races | 1.74% | 2.34% | 34.48% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.88% | 0.88% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.43% | 0.52% | 20.93% |
Gandy 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 Gandy is British & Irish, which comprises 57.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.4%) and Nigerian (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Scandinavian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.9% |
| French & German | 18.4% |
| Nigerian | 3.6% |
| Other | 20.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Gandy
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 Gandy have recent ancestry locations all within United Kingdom.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.20% |
What Gandy 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 Gandy is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Treadway, Thurman, Cowart, Beaman, Bosley, Beeson, Thatcher, Sheffield, Power, Case.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gandy surname are: H1, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
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 Gandy 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.
"Gandy" Surname 38.5%
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.
"Gandy" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Gandy" Surname 24.3%
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.
"Gandy" Surname 15.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gandy?
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 Gandy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition