Explore the Family Name Issa
The meaning of Issa
1. Arabic: from a variant of the personal name ʿĪsā, Arabic form of Hebrew Yeshua, Greek Iēsous (see Jesus). In Islam ʿĪsā is a prophet, ‘messenger of God/Allah and his word’ (Koran 4:171). In the Koran 19:30, he proclaims, ‘He (Allah) has given me the Book and established me as a Prophet.’ This surname is found among both Muslims and Christians, in part as an Arabized form of Assyrian/Chaldean variants such as Isho. Compare Essa and Isa 1. 2. Somali: from a variant of the Somali Muslim personal name Isse, a cognate of 1 above. Compare Essa. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Ali, Ahmad, Bassam, Nabil, Ahmed, Mohamad, Sami, Hani, Hassan, Ibrahim, Khalil, Mahmoud. French Michel, Georges, Andre, Antoine, Jean-Pierre, Pierre.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Issa in the United States?
According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Issa' has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Issa' ranked as the 11265th most popular surname, but it jumped to the 8110th position by 2010, marking a growth rate of approximately 28.01%. The count of individuals with the surname also demonstrated a substantial rise during this period, growing by 58.7% from 2576 to 4088. Consequently, the proportion of people named 'Issa' per 100,000 increased by 46.32%, moving from 0.95 to 1.39.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,265 | #8,110 | 28.01% |
| Count | 2,576 | 4,088 | 58.7% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.95 | 1.39 | 46.32% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Issa
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts within the demographics associated with the surname 'Issa' between 2000 and 2010. While the percentage of White individuals with this surname increased from 64.71% to 70.03%, the portion of those identifying as Two or more races decreased significantly from 16.73% to 5.60%. The Hispanic representation also saw a slight decrease, from 6.21% to 5.65%. The Black population bearing the surname 'Issa', however, more than doubled, from 7.26% to 15.48%. Additionally, there was a small emergence in the categories of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native, which were not represented in 2000 but accounted for 3.01% and 0.22% respectively in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 64.71% | 70.03% | 8.22% |
| Black | 7.26% | 15.48% | 113.22% |
| Hispanic | 6.21% | 5.65% | -9.02% |
| Two or More Races | 16.73% | 5.6% | -66.53% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 3.01% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.22% | 0% |
Issa 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 Issa is Levantine, which comprises 36.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian (10.7%) and British & Irish (8.6%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Egyptian, Spanish & Portuguese, Northern Indian & Pakistani, and Peninsular Arab.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Levantine | 36.7% |
| Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian | 10.7% |
| British & Irish | 8.6% |
| Other | 44.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Issa
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 Issa have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Lebanon, and Syria.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Beirut Governorate, Lebanon | 38.70% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon | 37.70% |
| North Governorate, Lebanon | 37.70% |
| Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon | 36.80% |
| Nabatiyeh Governorate, Lebanon | 35.80% |
What Issa 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 Issa is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include J-L26 and E-M78, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Nasser, Salem, Shaheen, Awad, Saleh, Khalil, Azar, Silberman, Said, Eid.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Issa surname are: M, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages
Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.
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.
What do people with the surname Issa 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.
"Issa" Surname 44.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Issa" Surname 37.5%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Issa" Surname 44.4%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Issa" Surname 10.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Issa?
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 Issa are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition