Explore the Family Name Harvey
The meaning of Harvey
1. English (of Norman origin): from the Old French and Middle English personal name Hervei, also found as Herveu, Hervé, and Hervi. The name Herveu or Herv(e)i was borne by a number of Bretons at the Norman Conquest and, as such, represents a French form of the Old Breton name Hoiearnviu or Hærviu (see Herve). Among Normans Herve(i) or Herv(e)i was also a French form of ancient Germanic Hariwic, Herewic (from hari ‘army’ + wīg ‘war’), with intervocalic /w/ becoming /v/ in Old French. The Breton and ancient Germanic names were commonly Latinized as Herve(i)us and Hervic(i)us respectively but, since their most common vernacular forms in Old French were indistinguishable, the Latin forms were also sometimes interchangeable, especially Herveus. 2. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAirmheadhaigh ‘descendant of Airmheadhach’, a personal name probably meaning ‘esteemed’. It seems to be a derivative of Airmheadh, the name borne by a mythological physician. 3. Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hEarchaidh ‘descendant of Earchadh’, a personal name of uncertain origin. 4. Irish: sometimes identical with 1, especially through migration from southwest Scotland. 5. Altered form of Breton Hervé (see Herve), a cognate of 1 above.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Harvey in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Harvey has seen a slight decrease in rank between 2000 and 2010, moving from the 247th most common surname to the 266th. Despite this drop in rank, the total count of individuals with the surname Harvey actually increased by 3.14% during the same time period. However, when adjusted for population growth, the proportion of individuals named Harvey per 100,000 people decreased by 5.68%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #247 | #266 | -7.69% |
| Count | 112,136 | 115,662 | 3.14% |
| Proportion per 100k | 41.57 | 39.21 | -5.68% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Harvey
The ethnic identity of those bearing the surname Harvey also saw changes between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census. Although the majority of individuals who identify as Harvey are White (68.00%), there was a slight decrease in this group by -3.82% between 2000 and 2010. The largest increase occurred within the Hispanic community, rising by 59.49%, while the Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races communities also saw substantial increases of 26.83% and 36.36% respectively. The American Indian and Alaskan Native community saw a moderate increase of 9.62%, and the Black community saw a small increase of 3.69%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 70.7% | 68% | -3.82% |
| Black | 24.11% | 25% | 3.69% |
| Hispanic | 1.58% | 2.52% | 59.49% |
| Two or More Races | 1.65% | 2.25% | 36.36% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.56% | 1.71% | 9.62% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.52% | 26.83% |
Harvey 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 Harvey is British & Irish, which comprises 53.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.9%) and Eastern European (3.5%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.4% |
| French & German | 21.9% |
| Eastern European | 3.5% |
| Other | 21.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Harvey
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 Harvey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 83.40% |
What Harvey 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 Harvey is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wilson, Smith, Thompson, Brown, Taylor, Clark, Young, White, Mitchell, Miller.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Harvey 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 Harvey 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.
"Harvey" Surname 38.5%
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.
"Harvey" Surname 30.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Harvey" Surname 23.9%
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.
"Harvey" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Harvey?
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 Harvey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition