Explore the Family Name Humphrey

The meaning of Humphrey

English: from the Middle English and Norman French personal name Humfrey, from ancient Germanic Hunfrid, Humfrid, composed of the elements hūn- ‘bear cub’ + frithu ‘peace’. The name was borne by a 9th-century Christian saint, bishop of Therouanne, who had a certain following in England among Norman settlers.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Humphrey" experienced a slight decrease in ranking between 2000 and 2010, moving from 655 to 705. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased by 3.34% during the same period, growing from 47,470 to 49,056. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased slightly, from 17.6 to 16.63.

20002010Change
Rank#655#705-7.63%
Count47,47049,0563.34%
Proportion per 100k17.616.63-5.51%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Humphrey

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data showed some shifts among those with the Humphrey surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 36.36%, while those identifying as two or more races saw a 34.62% increase. The percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased by 3.67%, whereas Hispanic representation jumped by 50.67%. The Black population saw a modest increase of 5.79%, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native population experienced a slight increase of 4.69%.

20002010Change
White74.03%71.31%-3.67%
Black21.94%23.21%5.79%
Hispanic1.5%2.26%50.67%
Two or More Races1.56%2.1%34.62%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.64%0.67%4.69%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.33%0.45%36.36%

Humphrey 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 Humphrey is British & Irish, which comprises 54.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.8%) and Nigerian (3.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish54.3%
French & German22.8%
Nigerian3.5%
Other19.4%
Humphrey

Possible origins of the surname Humphrey

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 Humphrey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom85.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom85.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom85.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom84.90%
Lancashire, United Kingdom84.80%

What Humphrey 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 Humphrey is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-CTS3402, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lowe, Shaw, Richards, Fox, Morris, Thompson, White, Thomas, Evans, Simmons.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Humphrey surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

humphreyPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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 Humphrey 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

Humphrey

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Humphrey" Surname 42.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Humphrey

Misophonia

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

"Humphrey" Surname 23.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Humphrey

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Humphrey" Surname 27.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Humphrey

Migraine

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

"Humphrey" Surname 17.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Humphrey?

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 Humphrey 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

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%