Explore the Family Name Gregor

The meaning of Gregor

1. English (Cornwall) and Scottish (Midlothian and Aberdeenshire): from the personal name Gregor, from Latin Gregorius (see Gregory). Compare Greer. 2. German, Slovak, Slovenian, and Polish; Sorbian (Gŕegor): from the personal name Gregor, Lower Sorbian Gŕegor, a vernacular form (in Polish a rare variant of Grzegorz, in Lower Sorbian a variant of Grogor; see 3 below) of Latin Gregorius (see Gregory). The German surname has also been adopted by Czechs (compare Rehor) and Ashkenazic Jews. In North America, this surname may also be a shortened form of Slavic patronymics like Slovenian Gregorc, Gregorič (see Gregorich), and Gregorčič, and Slovak Gregorovič. 3. Germanized or Americanized form of Polish Grzegorz and Sorbian Grogor or Hrjehoŕ: from the personal name Polish Grzegorz, Lower Sorbian Grogor, Upper Sorbian Hrjehoŕ, equivalents of Latin Gregorius (see Gregory).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gregor in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gregor saw a minor decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the name dropped from 7391 in 2000 to 7915 in 2010, marking a 7.09% decrease. However, the actual count of people with this surname increased slightly from 4158 to 4180, indicating a 0.53% increase. The proportion per 100k people also went down by 7.79%, from 1.54 to 1.42.

20002010Change
Rank#7,391#7,915-7.09%
Count4,1584,1800.53%
Proportion per 100k1.541.42-7.79%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gregor

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census suggests that there were some shifts in the Gregor surname's ethnic identity distribution from 2000 to 2010. The highest percentage was White ethnicity, though it decreased slightly from 95.02% to 93.54%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw the most significant percentage increase, rising from 0.58% to 0.93%. The Asian/Pacific Islander category also experienced notable growth, increasing from 0.51% to 0.74%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Two or more races went up from 1.15% to 1.63%, Hispanic from 2.09% to 2.49%, and Black from 0.65% to 0.67%.

20002010Change
White95.02%93.54%-1.56%
Hispanic2.09%2.49%19.14%
Two or More Races1.15%1.63%41.74%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.58%0.93%60.34%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.51%0.74%45.1%
Black0.65%0.67%3.08%

Gregor 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 Gregor is British & Irish, which comprises 36.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.3%) and Eastern European (15.5%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Greek & Balkan, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish36.9%
French & German21.3%
Eastern European15.5%
Other26.2%
Gregor

Possible origins of the surname Gregor

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 Gregor have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom72.30%
Greater London, United Kingdom72.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom72.30%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom71.50%
West Midlands, United Kingdom70.80%

What Gregor 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 Gregor is R-L21, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L21 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L260 and R-CTS3402, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wilk, Majewski, Zalewski, Laskowski, Nowakowski, Wojciechowski, Chrisman, Olszewski, Wargo, Jablonski.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gregor surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

gregorPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Gregor 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

Gregor

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Gregor" Surname 39.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Gregor

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Gregor" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Gregor

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Gregor" Surname 14.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Gregor

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Gregor" Surname 19.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Gregor?

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 Gregor are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%