Explore the Family Name Hector
The meaning of Hector
1. English, German, French, Haitian, Swedish, and Dutch: from the personal name Hector, the name of the Trojan hero in Homer’s Iliad, perhaps ‘the restrainer’, an agent derivative of Greek echein ‘to restrain’. This was brought to England via French. According to medieval legend, Britain derived its name from being founded by Brutus, a Trojan exile, and Hector was thus occasionally chosen as a personal name. In medieval Germany, this was a fairly popular personal name among the nobility, derived from classical literature. 2. Scottish: from the personal name Hector, adopted for the Gaelic personal name Eachann (earlier Eachdonn, composed of the elements each ‘horse’ + donn ‘brown’). This was confused from an early date with the Scandinavian name Haakon.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hector in the United States?
The surname Hector, based on the Decennial U.S. Census, has shown a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 7671 with a count of approximately 4000, and by 2010, the rank had slightly improved to 7572 with an increased count nearing 4387. This represents a growth rate of about 1.29% in rank and 9.68% in total count over the decade. The proportion per 100,000 of the population also showed a minimal growth of 0.68%, moving from 1.48 to 1.49.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,671 | #7,572 | 1.29% |
| Count | 4,000 | 4,387 | 9.68% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.48 | 1.49 | 0.68% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hector
In terms of ethnicity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of individuals with the surname Hector were identified as Black or White in 2010. The proportion of those identifying as Black rose from 44.03% in 2000 to 47.39% in 2010, marking a 7.63% increase. Meanwhile, the White demographic witnessed an 8.19% decrease, falling from 42.73% to 39.23%. The Hispanic segment experienced a slight growth of 5.57%, reaching 9.85% in 2010 from 9.33% in 2000. Both Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities saw decreases at -1.54% and -37.21% respectively. Finally, those identifying as two or more races decreased by 8.07%, reducing from 2.85% to 2.62%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 44.03% | 47.39% | 7.63% |
| White | 42.73% | 39.23% | -8.19% |
| Hispanic | 9.33% | 9.85% | 5.57% |
| Two or More Races | 2.85% | 2.62% | -8.07% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.65% | 0.64% | -1.54% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.43% | 0.27% | -37.21% |
Hector 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 Hector is British & Irish, which comprises 33.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.6%) and Spanish & Portuguese (9.5%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 33.3% |
| French & German | 21.6% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 9.5% |
| Other | 35.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Hector
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 Hector have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 63.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 63.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 62.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 62.60% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 62.60% |
What Hector 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 Hector 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-CTS241 and I-M170, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Marty, Gaskin, Collazo, Chevalier, Piercy, Montague, O'Neal, Ash, Woody, Murdock.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hector surname are: H, L3, L2a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European and Sub-Saharan African 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 Hector 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.
"Hector" Surname 37.9%
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.
"Hector" Surname 29.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hector" Surname 24.1%
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.
"Hector" Surname 20.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hector?
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 Hector are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition