Explore the Family Name Hood
The meaning of Hood
1. English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English hod, hood, hodde ‘hood’, either for someone who wore a hood (like the medieval folk hero Robin Hood) or who made and sold hoods. In Kent and Sussex the name may sometimes have been confused with Hoad. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Hod(e), a variant of Ode or Odd with prosthetic H-; see Ott and Oates and compare Hodson 2. 3. English and Scottish: variant of Hudd, from the Middle English personal name Hudde, Hutte, which could represent Old English Hud(d)a or its ancient Germanic equivalent Hud(d)o, but is more likely from Anglo-Norman French Hud(de), a pet form of Hugh. 4. English: habitational name from Hood in Rattery (Devon), from Old English hōd ‘hood’, probably referring to a hood-shaped hill. 5. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUid ‘descendant of Ud’, a personal name of uncertain derivation. This was the name of an Ulster family who were bards to the O’Neills of Clandeboy and was later altered to Mac hUid. Compare Mahood. 6. In some cases also an Americanized form of French Houde. History: Some of the American bearers of the surname Hood are descendants of Louis Houde from France (see Houde).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hood in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Hood saw a slight increase in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 566th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 616th position, marking a decline of approximately 8.83%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Hood surname rose from 53,737 in 2000 to 55,174 in 2010, indicating an increase of about 2.67%. However, the proportion of people named Hood per 100,000 decreased by around 6.12%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #566 | #616 | -8.83% |
| Count | 53,737 | 55,174 | 2.67% |
| Proportion per 100k | 19.92 | 18.7 | -6.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hood
When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates some shifts among those bearing the Hood surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage identifying as White dropped slightly from 76.59% to 74.07%, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also declined marginally. On the other hand, all other ethnic categories showed increases. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 30%, those identifying as two or more races went up by 30.19%, and there was a significant rise of 63.91% in the number of those identifying as Hispanic. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as Black rose modestly, from 19.08% to 20.16%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.59% | 74.07% | -3.29% |
| Black | 19.08% | 20.16% | 5.66% |
| Hispanic | 1.33% | 2.18% | 63.91% |
| Two or More Races | 1.59% | 2.07% | 30.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.01% | 1% | -0.99% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.52% | 30% |
Hood 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 Hood is British & Irish, which comprises 59.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.1%) and Eastern European (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.0% |
| French & German | 20.1% |
| Eastern European | 3.6% |
| Other | 17.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Hood
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 Hood have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
What Hood 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 Hood 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-M405 and R-DF98, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Perry, Freeman, West, Bennett, Miller, Wright, Smith, Harrison, Lambert, Stephens.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hood 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 Hood 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.
"Hood" Surname 41.8%
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.
"Hood" Surname 24.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hood" Surname 23.2%
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.
"Hood" Surname 18.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hood?
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 Hood are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition