Explore the Family Name Harkness
The meaning of Harkness
Scottish (Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire): apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place (perhaps in the area of Annandale, Dumfriesshire, with which the surname is connected in early records). The surname is also established in northern Ireland, where it was taken in the 17th century by settlers from Dumfriesshire. History: A descendant of the Dumfriesshire family of this name, Stephen V. Harkness (died 1888), amassed a fortune in the US oil industry and was a partner of John D. Rockefeller, Sr; his son, Edward Stephen Harkness (born 1874 in Cleveland, OH) was the president of the philanthropic Commonwealth Fund in the US and a founder of the Pilgrim Trust in Britain.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Harkness in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Harkness observed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 5648th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to 5953rd place, representing a 5.4% decrease. Despite this drop in ranking, the number of individuals with the Harkness surname actually increased from 5,635 in 2000 to 5,783 in 2010, a growth of 2.63%. The representation of this name per 100,000 people also saw a dip from 2.09 in 2000 to 1.96 in 2010, marking a 6.22% decline.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,648 | #5,953 | -5.4% |
| Count | 5,635 | 5,783 | 2.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.09 | 1.96 | -6.22% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harkness
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Harkness showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest portion of individuals with this surname identified as White, although their percentage decreased slightly from 85.09% in 2000 to 83.37% in 2010. The Hispanic population with this surname saw the most significant increase, growing by 78.20%, albeit from a small base of 1.33% in 2000 to 2.37% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also grew by 7.55% and 60.00% respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black or belonging to two or more races saw minor changes, with the former decreasing by 0.44% and the latter increasing by 39.10%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.09% | 83.37% | -2.02% |
| Black | 11.41% | 11.36% | -0.44% |
| Hispanic | 1.33% | 2.37% | 78.2% |
| Two or More Races | 1.33% | 1.85% | 39.1% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.53% | 0.57% | 7.55% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.3% | 0.48% | 60% |
Harkness 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 Harkness is British & Irish, which comprises 59.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.6%) and Eastern European (5.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Filipino & Austronesian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.4% |
| French & German | 21.6% |
| Eastern European | 5.9% |
| Other | 13.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Harkness
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 Harkness have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 90.20% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 90.20% |
What Harkness 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 Harkness is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-L205.1 and I-L22, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Blanton, Dodds, Hebert, Whiteside, Landry, Aldrich, Ogle, Duvall, Garza, Jewett.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Harkness surname are: H1, H, U5a1. 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 Harkness 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.
"Harkness" Surname 39.1%
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.
"Harkness" Surname 22.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Harkness" Surname 21.5%
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.
"Harkness" Surname 19.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Harkness?
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 Harkness are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition