Explore the Family Name Gervais
The meaning of Gervais
1. French: from the personal name Gervais (see Jarvis 1). Compare Jarvey 2 and Jarvis 3. 2. Altered form of French Gervaise, a variant of 1 above. History: René Gervais from Nieul-sur-l’Autise in Vendée, France, married Marie Jousselot in Quebec City, QC, in 1669. Mathieu Gervais dit Parisien from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés in Val-de-Marne, France, married Michelle Picard in Montreal, QC, in 1676. Jean-Baptiste Gervais dit Saint-Martin from Rennes in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (France), married Marie-Jeanne Tessier in La Pérade, QC, in 1700. — This surname is listed in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of South Carolina. Some characteristic forenames: French Marcel, Normand, Armand, Aime, Andre, Emile, Pierre, Raoul, Alain, Alcide, Camille, Cecile.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gervais in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Gervais slightly decreased in rank between 2000 and 2010, moving from 6,350th to 6,488th, a 2.17% decline. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with this surname increased by 6.04% during this period, growing from 4,935 to 5,233. Furthermore, its representation per 100,000 people saw a slight decrease of 3.28%, going from 1.83 to 1.77.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,350 | #6,488 | -2.17% |
| Count | 4,935 | 5,233 | 6.04% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.83 | 1.77 | -3.28% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gervais
Analyzing the ethnicity associated with the Gervais surname based on the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals various changes. The percentage of Gervais identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose significantly by 78.72%, from 0.47% to 0.84%. However, those identifying as two or more races declined by 22.27%, dropping from 2.11% to 1.64%. The majority of Gervais identified as White, although this number decreased by 3.51% from 90.03% to 86.87%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic population with this surname saw an increase of 42.86%, and the Black population increased by 47.60%. Lastly, American Indian and Alaskan Native representation within the Gervais population grew by 31.25%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.03% | 86.87% | -3.51% |
| Black | 4.58% | 6.76% | 47.6% |
| Hispanic | 1.54% | 2.2% | 42.86% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.28% | 1.68% | 31.25% |
| Two or More Races | 2.11% | 1.64% | -22.27% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.47% | 0.84% | 78.72% |
Gervais 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 Gervais is British & Irish, which comprises 36.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (34.0%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Indigenous American, and Filipino & Austronesian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 36.4% |
| French & German | 34.0% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 6.5% |
| Other | 23.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Gervais
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 Gervais have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 67.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 67.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 67.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 66.90% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 66.10% |
What Gervais 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 Gervais is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Caballero, Bertrand, Mena, Boyce, Vidal, Poole, Pino, Hawkins, Nicolas, Villalobos.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gervais surname are: V, H1, 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 Gervais 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.
"Gervais" Surname 50.0%
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.
"Gervais" Surname 30.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Gervais" Surname 22.2%
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.
"Gervais" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gervais?
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 Gervais are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition