Explore the Family Name Hume
The meaning of Hume
1. Scottish (Lowlands) and northern English: variant of Hulme, with loss of l before the bilabial consonant /m/, as in the vocabulary word calm. See Holm and Home. 2. Scottish: habitational name either from the barony of Home or from Hume (or Home) in Berwickshire, from which the barony took its name. The placename derives from Old English hōum, dative plural form of hōh ‘heel, spur of land’. History: A family of this name (see 2 above) have held the Earldom of Home since 1605.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hume in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Hume has seen a slight dip over a decade. In 2000, it ranked 4801 and decreased to 5301 in 2010, marking a 10.41% decline. The count of individuals with the Hume surname also fell from 6724 in 2000 to 6573 in 2010, indicating a decrease of 2.25%. Consequently, the proportion per 100k has also diminished from 2.49 in 2000 to 2.23 in 2010, a fall of 10.44%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,801 | #5,301 | -10.41% |
| Count | 6,724 | 6,573 | -2.25% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.49 | 2.23 | -10.44% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hume
As per the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the largest ethnic identity associated with the surname Hume is White, constituting 92.79% in 2000, which slightly dropped to 90.99% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Black increased marginally from 2.65% to 2.98%, and the Hispanic representation also saw a rise from 1.75% to 2.53%. Those associating with two or more races experienced a significant increase from 1.28% to 1.99%. The Asian/Pacific Islander group saw a small decline from 0.91% to 0.87%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained relatively stable, increasing slightly from 0.62% to 0.64% over the ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.79% | 90.99% | -1.94% |
| Black | 2.65% | 2.98% | 12.45% |
| Hispanic | 1.75% | 2.53% | 44.57% |
| Two or More Races | 1.28% | 1.99% | 55.47% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.91% | 0.87% | -4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.62% | 0.64% | 3.23% |
Hume 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 Hume is British & Irish, which comprises 59.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.5%) and Eastern European (5.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.7% |
| French & German | 20.5% |
| Eastern European | 5.4% |
| Other | 14.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Hume
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 Hume have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
What Hume 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 Hume is R-YP276, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-YP276 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Humes, Williamson, Winter, Thompson, White, Black, King, Fox, Lowe, Smith.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hume surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Hume 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.
"Hume" Surname 36.8%
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.
"Hume" Surname 31.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hume" Surname 18.2%
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.
"Hume" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hume?
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 Hume are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition