Explore the Family Name Horwitz

The meaning of Horwitz

Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Horowitz. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Isadore, Avi, Channa, Elihu, Emanuel, Mandel, Mayer, Meyer, Yetta.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Horwitz experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8,774th most common surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to 9,940th position, representing a decrease of 13.29%. The actual count of people with this surname also decreased from 3,444 in 2000 to 3,246 in 2010, a decline of 5.75%. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals named Horwitz per 100,000 people also fell by 14.06% during the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#8,774#9,940-13.29%
Count3,4443,246-5.75%
Proportion per 100k1.281.1-14.06%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Horwitz

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Horwitz surname identify as White, though there was a slight dip in this group from 97.18% in 2000 to 95.29% in 2010. The percentage identifying as Hispanic nearly doubled in the same period, rising from 1.10% to 1.97%. Those who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled, albeit from a small base, representing 0.52% of the total in 2000 and increasing to 1.08% in 2010. The proportion of those reporting two or more ethnicities also rose from 0.90% to 1.17%. There were no individuals with the Horwitz surname who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either of the years surveyed.

20002010Change
White97.18%95.29%-1.94%
Hispanic1.1%1.97%79.09%
Two or More Races0.9%1.17%30%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.52%1.08%107.69%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Horwitz 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 Horwitz is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 56.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (14.8%) and French & German (10.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Chinese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish56.3%
British & Irish14.8%
French & German10.7%
Other18.2%
Horwitz

Possible origins of the surname Horwitz

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom41.70%
Merseyside, United Kingdom41.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom41.70%
Greater London, United Kingdom41.70%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom41.70%

What Horwitz 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 Horwitz is R-CTS6, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS6 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Levine, Levin, Levy, Siegel, Segal, Levitt, Horowitz, Levi, Brodsky, Zucker.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Horwitz surname are: H1, N1b2, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

horwitzPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

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 Horwitz 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

Horwitz

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Horwitz" Surname 43.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Horwitz

Misophonia

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

"Horwitz" Surname 20.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Horwitz

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Horwitz" Surname 15.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Horwitz

Migraine

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

"Horwitz" Surname 13.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Horwitz?

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 Horwitz 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%