Explore the Family Name Hanley
The meaning of Hanley
1. Irish: shortened form of O’Hanley, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁinle ‘descendant of Áinle’, a personal name meaning ‘champion’. This is the name of a former ruling family in Connacht and is now common throughout southern Ireland. 2. English: habitational name from any of the many places called Handley (Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Northamptonshire) or Hanley (Staffordshire, Worcestershire), named with Old English hēan, the weak dative form (originally used after a preposition and article) of hēah ‘high’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Conor, Declan, Donovan, Eamonn, John Patrick.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hanley in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Hanley has seen a slight decrease in rank from 1718 in 2000 to 1864 in 2010, marking an 8.5% change. However, the number of individuals carrying the Hanley surname increased marginally from 19,160 to 19,240 during this ten-year period. This represents a modest growth rate of 0.42%. Consequently, the proportion per 100,000 people dipped by approximately 8.17%, from 7.1 to 6.52.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,718 | #1,864 | -8.5% |
| Count | 19,160 | 19,240 | 0.42% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.1 | 6.52 | -8.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hanley
In terms of ethnic identity, the surname Hanley is most commonly associated with individuals identifying as White, although there was a small drop in this group from 89.68% in 2000 to 87.99% in 2010 according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The second largest ethnicity group for this surname is Black, which saw a minor increase from 5.70% to 5.78%. Notably, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic more than doubled from 1.77% to 3.02%. Similarly, Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races groups also witnessed significant increases of 29.79% and 26.19% respectively. On the other hand, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group experienced a decline of 10.71%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.68% | 87.99% | -1.88% |
| Black | 5.7% | 5.78% | 1.4% |
| Hispanic | 1.77% | 3.02% | 70.62% |
| Two or More Races | 1.26% | 1.59% | 26.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.12% | 1% | -10.71% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.47% | 0.61% | 29.79% |
Hanley 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 Hanley is British & Irish, which comprises 59.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.0%) and Eastern European (5.7%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.5% |
| French & German | 17.0% |
| Eastern European | 5.7% |
| Other | 17.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Hanley
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 Hanley have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.10% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 84.40% |
What Hanley 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 Hanley is I-L1498, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L1498 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-Y4010 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Keane, Casey, Morrissey, Madden, Dickinson, Shannon, Connor, Markham, O'Connor, Obrien.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hanley surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your 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 Hanley 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.
"Hanley" Surname 38.6%
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.
"Hanley" Surname 26.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hanley" Surname 20.6%
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.
"Hanley" Surname 15.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hanley?
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 Hanley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition