Explore the Family Name Hartford

The meaning of Hartford

English: habitational name from East and West Hartford (Northumberland), Hartforth in Gilling (North Yorkshire), Hartford (Cheshire), or Hertford (Hertfordshire); less probably from Hartford End in Felsted (Essex) or Hartfordbridge in Elvetham (Hampshire). The placenames derive from Old English heorot ‘hart, stag’ + ford ‘ford’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Hartford in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Hartford's popularity has seen a slight shift from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Hartford was ranked 7221 in popularity with a count of 4260 individuals bearing this name. A decade later, in 2010, the surname's rank dropped to 7660, indicating its lowered frequency, despite a marginal increase in the actual count, which rose to 4336. This represents a 1.78% increase in the number of people with the Hartford surname but a 6.08% drop in rank. The proportion per 100k people also decreased by 6.96%, from 1.58 to 1.47.

20002010Change
Rank#7,221#7,660-6.08%
Count4,2604,3361.78%
Proportion per 100k1.581.47-6.96%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hartford

In terms of ethnic identity, the Hartford surname saw variations across different groups between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The highest percentage of Hartfords identified as White, although its percentage dropped slightly from 88.33% in 2000 to 86.07% in 2010. The Black community saw an increase from 7.54% to 8.49%. The most significant change was observed within the Hispanic group, where the percentage increased by 54.55%, from 1.43% to 2.21%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Hartford surname bearers identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying with two or more races both increased, with rises of 20.34% and 23.30%, respectively. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at 0.35%.

20002010Change
White88.33%86.07%-2.56%
Black7.54%8.49%12.6%
Hispanic1.43%2.21%54.55%
Two or More Races1.76%2.17%23.3%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.59%0.71%20.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.35%0.35%0%

Hartford 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 Hartford is British & Irish, which comprises 52.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.2%) and Eastern European (4.7%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.9%
French & German25.2%
Eastern European4.7%
Other17.1%
Hartford

Possible origins of the surname Hartford

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 Hartford have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom86.60%
Greater London, United Kingdom86.60%
Belfast, United Kingdom85.60%
Lancashire, United Kingdom85.60%

What Hartford 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 Hartford 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 R-L51 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Keim, Packer, Vigil, Atherton, Armstrong, Moreira, Brantley, Garza, Ryan, Duvall.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hartford surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

hartfordPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Hartford 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

Hartford

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Hartford" Surname 48.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Hartford

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Hartford" Surname 32.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Hartford

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Hartford" Surname 21.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Hartford

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Hartford" Surname 18.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Hartford?

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 Hartford are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%