Explore the Family Name Jenner
The meaning of Jenner
1. English: occupational name for a designer or engineer, from Middle English enginour ‘engineer, maker or designer of military machines’, Old French engigneor, enginior (a derivative of engaigne ‘cunning, ingenuity, stratagem, device’). Engineers in the Middle Ages were primarily designers and builders of military machines, although in peacetime they might turn their hands to architecture and other more pacific functions. In the 12th century ingeniator was used to denote someone who combined the duties of master mason and architect. Ailnoth ingeniator, a military architect, was surveyor of the king’s buildings at Westminster and the Tower in 1157, and was in charge of building operations at Windsor 1166–73. He repaired Westminster Abbey after a fire and superintended the destruction of the castles of Framlingham and Walton. 2. German: from the Latin personal name Januarius (see Janvier). Jänner is a South German word for ‘January’, and so it is possible that this is one of the surnames acquired from words denoting months of the year, for example by converts who had been baptized in that month, people who were born or baptized in that month, or people whose taxes were due in January.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Jenner in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Jenner has slightly dipped in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 11,650 in terms of commonality among surnames across the United States, but by 2010, it had fallen to a rank of 12,108. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Jenner surname increased slightly during this decade, from 2,467 to 2,574, marking a growth of 4.34%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,650 | #12,108 | -3.93% |
| Count | 2,467 | 2,574 | 4.34% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.91 | 0.87 | -4.4% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Jenner
Moving onto its ethnic identity distribution, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some changes over the decade. The proportion of Jenners identifying as White decreased slightly from 93.96% in 2000 to 92.11% in 2010. However, there were increases in those reporting multiple races (1.54% to 2.06%) and those identifying as Hispanic (2.35% to 3.61%). The percentage of Jenners who identified as Black also rose from 0.49% to 0.85%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native saw decreases by 22.77% and 10.77% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.96% | 92.11% | -1.97% |
| Hispanic | 2.35% | 3.61% | 53.62% |
| Two or More Races | 1.54% | 2.06% | 33.77% |
| Black | 0.49% | 0.85% | 73.47% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.01% | 0.78% | -22.77% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.58% | -10.77% |
Jenner 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 Jenner is British & Irish, which comprises 52.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.6%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.0% |
| French & German | 24.6% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.2% |
| Other | 18.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Jenner
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 Jenner have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
What Jenner 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 Jenner is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Jenner surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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 Jenner 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.
"Jenner" Surname 28.6%
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.
"Jenner" Surname 22.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Jenner" Surname 22.9%
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.
"Jenner" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Jenner?
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 Jenner are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition