Explore the Family Name Gomes
The meaning of Gomes
1. Portuguese and Galician: from the medieval personal name Gomes, probably Visigothic in origin, from guma ‘man’. This surname is also found on the west coast of India, where it was taken by Portuguese colonists. 2. Spanish: variant of Gómez (see Gomez). 3. Jewish (Sephardic): Portuguese surname (see 1 above), adopted at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later), some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics. 4. English: variant of Gumm, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Jose, Carlos, Fernando, Luis, Francisco, Jorge, Mario, Domingos, Jaime, Julio, Luiz. Portuguese Joao, Joaquim, Paulo, Catarina, Henrique, Agostinho, Amadeu, Ademir, Aderito, Aloisio, Conceicao, Ilidio.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gomes in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gomes has seen an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Gomes was ranked the 1,606th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had risen to become the 1,433rd most popular, a notable growth of 10.77%. The number of individuals bearing the Gomes surname also increased during this period. In 2000, there were 20,532 counts of the surname, which rose to 24,827 by 2010—an impressive increase of 20.92%. Consequently, the proportion of Gomes per 100k people also saw a rise from 7.61 in 2000 to 8.42 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,606 | #1,433 | 10.77% |
| Count | 20,532 | 24,827 | 20.92% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.61 | 8.42 | 10.64% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gomes
The ethnicity breakdown of the Gomes surname, as provided by the Decennial U.S. Census, indicates significant shifts between 2000 and 2010. While the largest ethnic identity associated with the Gomes surname is White (increasing marginally from 51.42% to 53.24%), there are substantial changes within other groups. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander nearly doubled, rising from 6.56% to 9.61%. Conversely, the percentage identifying with two or more races saw a sharp decrease, from 16.03% in 2000 to 4.85% in 2010. Those identifying as Black saw a significant increase, from 8.34% in 2000 to 14.15% in 2010. There was also a noticeable increase in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, albeit from a low base of 0.41% in 2000 to 0.76% in 2010. The Hispanic group witnessed a slight increase, from 17.24% to 17.38%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 51.42% | 53.24% | 3.54% |
| Hispanic | 17.24% | 17.38% | 0.81% |
| Black | 8.34% | 14.15% | 69.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 6.56% | 9.61% | 46.49% |
| Two or More Races | 16.03% | 4.85% | -69.74% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.76% | 85.37% |
Gomes 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 Gomes is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 48.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (14.3%) and French & German (7.0%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Senegambian & Guinean, Indigenous American, Bengali & Northeast Indian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 48.9% |
| British & Irish | 14.3% |
| French & German | 7.0% |
| Other | 29.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Gomes
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 Gomes have recent ancestry locations in Portugal and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Azores, Portugal | 62.50% |
| Madeira, Portugal | 61.90% |
| Aveiro District, Portugal | 58.20% |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 58.10% |
| Porto District, Portugal | 54.00% |
What Gomes 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 Gomes 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-CTS241 and E-V13, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pereira, Costa, Souza, Ferreira, Fernandes, Rodrigues, Oliveira, Dias, Sousa, Fernandez.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gomes surname are: A2, 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 Gomes 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.
"Gomes" Surname 38.1%
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.
"Gomes" Surname 33.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Gomes" Surname 19.0%
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.
"Gomes" Surname 14.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gomes?
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 Gomes are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition