Explore the Family Name Heyman

The meaning of Heyman

1. English: variant of Hayman. 2. Dutch: variant, mostly Americanized (or archaic) and Flemish, of Heijman, itself a variant of Hey 2. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Heiman. 4. Americanized form of German Heymann.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Heyman has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked at 10,553 in 2000, it fell to 11,154 in 2010, reflecting a change of -5.7%. However, the number of individuals carrying the Heyman name increased from 2,789 to 2,838 during the same period, revealing a growth of 1.76%. Nonetheless, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, there was a decrease from 1.03 to 0.96, marking a -6.8% change.

20002010Change
Rank#10,553#11,154-5.7%
Count2,7892,8381.76%
Proportion per 100k1.030.96-6.8%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Heyman

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows an interesting shift over the decade. While the majority of those with the surname Heyman identified as white (93.87% in 2000 and 92.42% in 2010), there was a noteworthy increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (rising from 0.43% to 0.74%) and Hispanic (increasing from 1.29% to 2.26%). The percentage of those identifying as two or more races also increased from 1.15% to 1.44%. Meanwhile, there was a minor reduction in the percentage of individuals who identify as Black (from 2.98% to 2.92%), and a larger drop among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.29% to 0.21%).

20002010Change
White93.87%92.42%-1.54%
Black2.98%2.92%-2.01%
Hispanic1.29%2.26%75.19%
Two or More Races1.15%1.44%25.22%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.43%0.74%72.09%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.29%0.21%-27.59%

Heyman 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 Heyman is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 40.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (24.7%) and French & German (16.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish40.4%
British & Irish24.7%
French & German16.4%
Other18.5%
Heyman

Possible origins of the surname Heyman

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom62.90%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom62.90%
Greater London, United Kingdom62.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom61.90%
Lancashire, United Kingdom60.80%

What Heyman 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 Heyman is E-L791, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-L791 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Feinstein, Lerner, Levinson, Gottlieb, Sternberg, Lipman, Goldenberg, Freedman, Stern, Feinberg.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Heyman surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

heymanPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Napolean Bonaparte

The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte descended from the common ancestor of haplogroup E-M34. The male line of the Bonaparte family was from Tuscany, where Napoleon's earliest known male ancestors lived for at least six generations. Eleven generations before Napoleon, his ancestor, Giovanni, was the first to leave Tuscany for Corsica. The Bonaparte lineage lived in Corsica for ten generations before Napoleon's father, Charles-Marie Bonaparte. Charles-Marie (born in 1746) married Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, at the age of 18 in 1764.

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 Heyman 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

Heyman

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Heyman" Surname 36.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Heyman

Misophonia

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

"Heyman" Surname 16.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Heyman

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Heyman" Surname 23.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Heyman

Migraine

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

"Heyman" Surname 20.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Heyman?

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 Heyman 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

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%