Explore the Family Name Joe
The meaning of Joe
1. English and Scottish: from a short form of the personal name Joseph. 2. Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Joe (short form of Joseph) as a surname. 3. Korean: variant of Cho 1. 4. Chinese: variant of Cho.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Joe in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Joe' has slightly increased over a decade. In 2000, it ranked as the 3891st most common surname in the United States and rose to the 3819th position by 2010, marking a change of 1.85%. The number of individuals carrying the 'Joe' surname also increased from 8382 in 2000 to 9280 in 2010, an increase of 10.71%. Furthermore, the proportion per 100k of people with this surname edged up from 3.11 to 3.15 during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,891 | #3,819 | 1.85% |
| Count | 8,382 | 9,280 | 10.71% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.11 | 3.15 | 1.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Joe
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity of individuals bearing the 'Joe' surname. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a notable increase in the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics with this surname, with changes of 6.24% and 7.53% respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as Two or more races also saw a modest increase of 4.21%. However, the data shows a slight decrease in the percentage of white and black individuals as well as those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native. The shifts in these percentages reflect the changing ethnic landscape of individuals with the 'Joe' surname over the ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 34.62% | 33.79% | -2.4% |
| Black | 25.66% | 24.98% | -2.65% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 21.65% | 23% | 6.24% |
| White | 12.42% | 12.26% | -1.29% |
| Hispanic | 2.79% | 3% | 7.53% |
| Two or More Races | 2.85% | 2.97% | 4.21% |
Joe 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 Joe is Chinese, which comprises 28.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (14.7%) and French & German (12.5%). Additional ancestries include Indigenous American, Nigerian, Chinese Dai, Korean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 28.2% |
| British & Irish | 14.7% |
| French & German | 12.5% |
| Other | 44.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Joe
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 Joe have recent ancestry locations in China and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 34.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 32.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 31.70% |
What Joe 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 Joe is IJ-M429, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup IJ-M429 is descended from haplogroup F-M89. Other common haplogroups include E-M4254 and O-JST002611, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Zwick, Nyman, Edmundson, Nygaard, Nusbaum, Nunnally, Novoa, Ehlert, Ehrhardt, Novick.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Joe surname are: H, L3, D4. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins F-M89Your 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 Joe 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.
"Joe" Surname 35.7%
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.
"Joe" Surname 38.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Joe" Surname 41.7%
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.
"Joe" Surname 17.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Joe?
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 Joe are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition