Explore the Family Name Ives

The meaning of Ives

English (of Norman origin) and French: from the Old French personal name Ive, Yve(s) (of which Ivon was originally an inflected form), with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. The name, common among the Normans and Bretons, was originally of Breton origin and derived ultimately from a British Celtic (or perhaps Gaulish) stem ib- ‘yew’. This surname is very rare in France; in North America it may thus, in some cases, (also) be an altered form of the variant Yves.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Ives saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. The ranking of the surname fell by 6.38%, moving from 4058 in 2000 to 4317 in 2010. However, there was a small increase in the actual count of individuals with the surname, rising by 2.24% from 8053 in 2000 to 8233 in 2010. The proportion of the population carrying the Ives surname per 100k people also dropped by 6.69%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,058#4,317-6.38%
Count8,0538,2332.24%
Proportion per 100k2.992.79-6.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ives

The Decennial U.S. Census data on ethnicity shows shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Ives between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander Ives increased by 62.00%, while the percentage of those identifying as two or more races rose by 19.02%. There was a noticeable increase in the Hispanic population with this surname, up by 35.12%. The percentage of Black individuals with the surname Ives grew by 24.00%. On the other hand, there was a marginal decline in the white demographic, down by 1.70%, and a slightly larger decrease in the American Indian and Alaskan Native population, which dropped by 8.97%.

20002010Change
White92.75%91.17%-1.7%
Black2%2.48%24%
Hispanic1.68%2.27%35.12%
Two or More Races1.63%1.94%19.02%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.45%1.32%-8.97%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.5%0.81%62%

Ives 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 Ives is British & Irish, which comprises 50.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.3%) and Eastern European (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish50.1%
French & German23.3%
Eastern European5.3%
Other21.3%
Ives

Possible origins of the surname Ives

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom89.30%
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom88.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom88.90%
West Midlands, United Kingdom88.50%

What Ives 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 Ives is R-L664, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L664 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Willard, Hand, Dent, Couch, Bickford, Judd, Keeney, Goodin, Prendergast, Fenn.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ives surname are: H1c, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

ivesPaternal 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 Ives 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

Ives

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Ives" Surname 40.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Ives

Misophonia

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

"Ives" Surname 26.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Ives

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Ives" Surname 22.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Ives

Migraine

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

"Ives" Surname 20.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Ives?

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 Ives 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%