Explore the Family Name Gish
The meaning of Gish
Americanized form of German Gisch: from a short form of the ancient Germanic personal name Gisulf, composed of the elements gis (from gīsil ‘pledge, hostage, noble offspring’; see Giesel) + wolf, wulf ‘wolf’. History: Matthias Gisch from Assweiler in the Palatinate (now in Saarland) arrived in Philadelphia, PA, in 1733 with a group of Mennonites. He is the progenitor of the majority of the American Gish families.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gish in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Gish" has seen a change in its popularity over a decade. In 2000, it ranked 7935 in popularity with a count of 3866, yielding a proportion of 1.43 per 100k people. By 2010, the rank had slipped to 8711, a decrease of about 9.78%. The total count also declined slightly to 3768, which represents a drop of 2.53%. The proportion per 100k people fell to 1.28, marking a descent of 10.49%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,935 | #8,711 | -9.78% |
| Count | 3,866 | 3,768 | -2.53% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.43 | 1.28 | -10.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gish
Turning to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows several changes from 2000 to 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 0.44% to 0.64%, and those claiming two or more ethnicities rose from 1.50% to 1.70%. A slight decline was noted among individuals identifying as White, from 95.55% to 94.75%. Hispanic identification saw an increase from 1.50% to 1.96%. There was a significant drop in individuals identifying as Black, with the percentage falling from 0.41% to 0.21%. Lastly, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native rose from 0.59% to 0.74%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.55% | 94.75% | -0.84% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 1.96% | 30.67% |
| Two or More Races | 1.5% | 1.7% | 13.33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.59% | 0.74% | 25.42% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.64% | 45.45% |
| Black | 0.41% | 0.21% | -48.78% |
Gish 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 Gish is British & Irish, which comprises 44.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (35.9%) and Eastern European (4.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Japanese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.4% |
| French & German | 35.9% |
| Eastern European | 4.7% |
| Other | 14.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Gish
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 Gish have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
What Gish 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 Gish is R-S14328, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S14328 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hylton, Rigsby, Choate, Marcotte, Gott, Rigby, Stenger, Munson, Sauls, Barto.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gish surname are: H1, H, K1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Gish 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.
"Gish" Surname 52.6%
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.
"Gish" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Gish" Surname 15.4%
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.
"Gish" Surname 15.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gish?
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 Gish are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition