Explore the Family Name Guy
The meaning of Guy
1. English (of Norman origin) and French: from a common Old French personal name Guy, from ancient Germanic Wido, a short form of compound names based on the element wid(u) ‘wood, forest’, Latinized as Guido. 2. English (of Norman origin): alternatively, an occupational name for a guide, Old French gui (a derivative of gui(d)er ‘to guide’, of ancient Germanic origin). 3. Altered form of French Guay.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Guy in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Guy has experienced shifts in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Guy was ranked 1150th in terms of most common surnames, but it fell to 1227th by 2010 — a decrease of 6.7%. Despite this drop in rank, the total count of people with the surname Guy actually increased from 27,934 to 28,852 during this period, marking a growth of 3.29%. The proportion of individuals named Guy per 100,000 people also declined slightly, moving from 10.36 to 9.78.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,150 | #1,227 | -6.7% |
| Count | 27,934 | 28,852 | 3.29% |
| Proportion per 100k | 10.36 | 9.78 | -5.6% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Guy
The ethnicity associated with the surname Guy also saw changes according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. White identity decreased from 70.34% to 67.88%, while those identifying as Black increased slightly from 23.85% to 24.98%. People identifying as Hispanic experienced the most significant growth, rising from 1.68% to 2.37%. Similarly, those with two or more racial identities increased from 1.81% to 2.33%. The proportion of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native grew modestly, with the former group increasing from 0.95% to 1.01% and the latter from 1.37% to 1.43%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 70.34% | 67.88% | -3.5% |
| Black | 23.85% | 24.98% | 4.74% |
| Hispanic | 1.68% | 2.37% | 41.07% |
| Two or More Races | 1.81% | 2.33% | 28.73% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.37% | 1.43% | 4.38% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.95% | 1.01% | 6.32% |
Guy 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 Guy is British & Irish, which comprises 52.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.3%) and Eastern European (3.4%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.3% |
| French & German | 20.3% |
| Eastern European | 3.4% |
| Other | 23.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Guy
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 Guy have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 80.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 80.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 79.90% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 79.50% |
What Guy 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 Guy 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-P311 and R-Y4010, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dixon, Morris, Lewis, Sanders, Davis, Richards, Edwards, Lloyd, Williams, Jones.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Guy 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 Guy 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.
"Guy" Surname 40.4%
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.
"Guy" Surname 26.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Guy" Surname 20.2%
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.
"Guy" Surname 19.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Guy?
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 Guy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition