Explore the Family Name Guthrie
The meaning of Guthrie
1. Scottish: habitational name from a place near Forfar, named in Gaelic with gaothair ‘windy place’ (a derivative of gaoth ‘wind’) + the locative suffix -ach. 2. Scottish: possibly an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mag Uchtre ‘son of Uchtre’, a personal name which is perhaps akin to uchtlach ‘child’. 3. Irish (Clare and Antrim): adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic Ó Fhlaithimh ‘descendant of Flaitheamh’, a byname meaning ‘prince’. This is the result of an erroneous association of the Gaelic name in the form Ó Fhlaithimh (Fh being silent), with the Gaelic word laithigh ‘mud’, and of mud with gutters, and an equally erroneous association of the Scottish surname Guthrie with the word ‘gutter’. Compare Laffey. History: Samuel Guthrie (1782–1848), who invented a replacement for the flintlock musket, also discovered chloroform in 1831. His ancestor John Guthrie came to North America from Edinburgh, Scotland, and died in Litchfield County, CT, in 1730.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Guthrie in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Guthrie' has seen a slight decrease in ranking from 1015 in 2000 to 1095 in 2010, representing a change of -7.88. However, the actual count of people with this surname has slightly increased by 1.35%, from 31,530 in 2000 to 31,956 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by -7.36, from 11.69 in 2000 to 10.83 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,015 | #1,095 | -7.88% |
| Count | 31,530 | 31,956 | 1.35% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.69 | 10.83 | -7.36% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Guthrie
Regarding ethnic identity associated with the Guthrie surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some changes between 2000 and 2010. While the majority of those with the surname identify as White (88.05% in 2010, down from 89.92% in 2000), there are increases in other ethnicities. The Hispanic representation rose by 50.68%, from 1.46% to 2.20%. Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying as two or more races also saw increases of 45.45% and 44.68% respectively. The percentage identifying as Black slightly grew from 5.53% to 5.85%. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a small fall from 1.25% to 1.21%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.92% | 88.05% | -2.08% |
| Black | 5.53% | 5.85% | 5.79% |
| Hispanic | 1.46% | 2.2% | 50.68% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 2.04% | 44.68% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.25% | 1.21% | -3.2% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.64% | 45.45% |
Guthrie 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 Guthrie is British & Irish, which comprises 57.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.7%) and Scandinavian (4.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.5% |
| French & German | 22.7% |
| Scandinavian | 4.0% |
| Other | 15.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Guthrie
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 Guthrie have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 89.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
What Guthrie 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 Guthrie is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M467 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Drew, Lynn, Hughes, Porter, Phillips, Edwards, Mccarty, Morgan, Mcdonald, Ford.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Guthrie surname are: H1, T2b, 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 Guthrie 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.
"Guthrie" Surname 43.2%
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.
"Guthrie" Surname 26.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Guthrie" Surname 24.8%
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.
"Guthrie" Surname 18.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Guthrie?
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 Guthrie are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition