Explore the Family Name Hartley
The meaning of Hartley
1. English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name, in northern England mainly from Hartley in Rochdale parish (Lancashire) but also from any of the places called Hartley in Westmorland and the West Yorkshire. In southern England it derives Hartley in Devon, Hampshire, and Kent, and from Hartleigh in Devon. Similar placenames occur in Berkshire, Dorset, and Northumberland, but it is not known if they gave rise to surnames. Most of the placenames derive from Old English heorot ‘hart, stag’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’, though the Westmorland placename comes from Old English heard ‘hard’ + clā ‘claw, tongue of land’, and the Northumberland placename derives from Old English heorot + hlāw ‘mound, hill’. 2. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hArtghaile ‘descendant of Artghal’, a personal name composed of the elements Art ‘bear’ or ‘hero’ + gal ‘valor’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hartley in the United States?
The popularity of the surname Hartley has seen a slight decrease in the U.S. over the decade from 2000 to 2010. Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, in 2000, Hartley ranked as the 1055th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 1124th spot, reflecting a rank change of -6.54%. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased by 3.26% during this period, growing from 30,236 in 2000 to 31,221 in 2010. The representation of this surname per 100,000 population also decreased slightly from 11.21 in 2000 to 10.58 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,055 | #1,124 | -6.54% |
| Count | 30,236 | 31,221 | 3.26% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.21 | 10.58 | -5.62% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hartley
Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Hartley, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, we see some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of people with this surname identify as White, although the percentage dropped slightly from 90.68% in 2000 to 88.9% in 2010. The proportions of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic saw notable increases, rising by 47.5% and 45.65% respectively, albeit from a relatively small base. There was also a small increase in the proportion of people with this surname identifying as Black (from 5.78% to 6.52%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.40% to 0.42%). Meanwhile, the portion who identified with two or more races increased slightly from 1.36% to 1.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.68% | 88.9% | -1.96% |
| Black | 5.78% | 6.52% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic | 1.38% | 2.01% | 45.65% |
| Two or More Races | 1.36% | 1.55% | 13.97% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.59% | 47.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.4% | 0.42% | 5% |
Hartley 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 Hartley is British & Irish, which comprises 58.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.9%) and Scandinavian (3.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 58.4% |
| French & German | 23.9% |
| Scandinavian | 3.2% |
| Other | 14.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Hartley
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 Hartley have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 92.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 92.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 92.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 92.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 91.90% |
What Hartley 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 Hartley is R-Z16855, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z16855 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-S660 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Vaughn, Patterson, Taylor, Smith, Thompson, White, Cooper, Ward, Collins, Murray.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hartley 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 Hartley 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.
"Hartley" Surname 45.0%
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.
"Hartley" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hartley" Surname 21.7%
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.
"Hartley" Surname 19.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hartley?
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 Hartley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition