Explore the Family Name Helm
The meaning of Helm
1. English (Lancashire): from Old English helm ‘protection, covering’ (in later northern English dialects, ‘cattle shelter, barn’). The name may be topographic, for someone who lived by or worked at a barn, or habitational, from a place so named, such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire). 2. English: variant of Elm with prosthetic H-. 3. German, and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a maker of helmets, from Middle High German, Middle Dutch helm. 4. German and Dutch: from a medieval personal name, a short form of any of various compound names formed with helm ‘helmet’. Compare, e.g., Helmbrecht. 5. Dutch (Van der Helm): from one of several houses so named because of a helmet depicted on a signboard. 6. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Helm ‘helmet’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Helm in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Helm saw a decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Helm was ranked as the 1991st most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 3087th position, marking a significant drop of over 55%. The total count of people with Helm as their surname also decreased during this time period, going from 16,700 in 2000 to 11,649 in 2010, a decline of over 30%. Despite this drop, the proportion of individuals named Helm per 100,000 people only decreased by approximately 36%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,991 | #3,087 | -55.05% |
| Count | 16,700 | 11,649 | -30.25% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.19 | 3.95 | -36.19% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Helm
When it comes to ethnic identity, the Helm surname appears to be predominantly tied to White ethnicity according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. However, between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of individuals identifying as White and bearing the Helm surname decreased slightly from 89.4% to 86.39%. During the same period, there were increases noted in other ethnic identities. The percentage of Helm-associated individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose by 32.31%, those identifying with two or more races increased by 62.42%, Hispanic identification jumped by 73.77%, Black identification increased by 10.98%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native identification rose by 53.66%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.4% | 86.39% | -3.37% |
| Black | 6.83% | 7.58% | 10.98% |
| Two or More Races | 1.49% | 2.42% | 62.42% |
| Hispanic | 1.22% | 2.12% | 73.77% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.65% | 0.86% | 32.31% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.63% | 53.66% |
Helm 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 Helm is British & Irish, which comprises 49.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (28.0%) and Scandinavian (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.0% |
| French & German | 28.0% |
| Scandinavian | 5.0% |
| Other | 18.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Helm
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 Helm have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
What Helm 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 Helm is R-S7200, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S7200 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Coates, Younger, Cottrell, Atwood, Pearce, Burch, Motley, Mansfield, Thompson, Marcum.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Helm 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 Helm 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.
"Helm" Surname 48.3%
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.
"Helm" Surname 29.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Helm" Surname 26.1%
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.
"Helm" Surname 16.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Helm?
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 Helm are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition