Explore the Family Name Hale
The meaning of Hale
1. English: topographic name for someone who lived in a (usually remote) nook or corner of land, from Old English and Middle English hale, dative of h(e)alh ‘nook, hollow’, or a habitational name from a place so named such as Hale in Cheshire, Hampshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Holme Hale (Norfolk), Hale Street (Kent), and Haile (Cumberland). In northern England the word often has a specialized meaning, denoting a piece of flat alluvial land by the side of a river, typically one deposited in a bend. See Haugh. In southeastern England it often referred to a patch of dry land in a fen. In some cases the surname may be a habitational name from any of several places in England named with this fossilized inflected form, which would originally have been preceded by a preposition, e.g. in the hale or at the hale. This surname is also established in south Wales. 2. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Céile (see McHale). 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Halle. 4. Americanized form of Norwegian Hole. History: Robert Hale, who settled in Cambridge, MA, in 1632, was an ancestor of the revolutionary war patriot and spy Nathan Hale (1755–76) of CT. The common English surname was brought independently in the 17th century to VA and MD.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hale in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Hale has seen changes in its popularity over the years. In 2000, the surname ranked 338th in prevalence but slipped to 362nd by 2010, a drop of 7.1%. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Hale surname rose from 82,955 in 2000 to 86,618 in 2010 – an increase of 4.42%. However, when looking at the proportion per 100,000 people, there was a slight decline from 30.75 in 2000 to 29.36 in 2010, a fall of about 4.52%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #338 | #362 | -7.1% |
| Count | 82,955 | 86,618 | 4.42% |
| Proportion per 100k | 30.75 | 29.36 | -4.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hale
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data also showed shifts among those bearing the Hale surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of Hale's identifying as White decreased slightly from 83.99% to 82.23%, while the representation of those identifying as Black increased marginally from 11.17% to 11.41%. Individuals of Hispanic ethnicity saw a significant increase of 51.25%, moving from 1.60% in 2000 to 2.42% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw an increase from 0.46% to 0.54%, and individuals identifying with two or more races grew from 1.59% to 2.21%. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained consistent across both years at 1.19%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83.99% | 82.23% | -2.1% |
| Black | 11.17% | 11.41% | 2.15% |
| Hispanic | 1.6% | 2.42% | 51.25% |
| Two or More Races | 1.59% | 2.21% | 38.99% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.19% | 1.19% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.54% | 17.39% |
Hale 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 Hale is British & Irish, which comprises 56.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.5%) and Eastern European (3.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.9% |
| French & German | 22.5% |
| Eastern European | 3.3% |
| Other | 17.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Hale
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 Hale have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.50% |
What Hale 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 Hale 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-S1855 and R-Z8, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Edwards, Heath, White, Thompson, Shepherd, Taylor, Smith, Hill, Clarke, Reed.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hale 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 Hale 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.
"Hale" Surname 44.6%
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.
"Hale" Surname 29.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hale" Surname 22.7%
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.
"Hale" Surname 19.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hale?
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 Hale are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition