Explore the Family Name Karlin

The meaning of Karlin

1. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from Karlin, a suburb of Pinsk in Belarus, in which the Jews formed the majority of the population until the Holocaust. A well-known Hasidic sect originated in Karlin and at one time it attracted so many followers that a (now obsolete) Russian word for ‘Hasid’ was Karliner (of Yiddish origin). It is possible that at least some people taking this surname did so because they were members of this sect and not because they were born or lived in Karlin. 2. German (also Kärlin): from an old pet form of the personal name Karl (see also Charles). This surname is also found in Poland. 3. Czech (Karlín): derivative of the personal name Karel (see Karl and Charles), formed with the possesive suffix -ín. 4. Slovenian: derivative of the personal name Karel or Karl, formed with the augmentative suffix -in or with the German diminutive suffix -lin (compare 2 above). 5. Swedish: from the personal name Karl or a habitational name from any of various places called with this name + the suffix -in, a derivative of Latin -inus ‘relating to’. Compare Carlin.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Karlin has increased in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 13,596 and rose to 12,452 by 2010, an increase of 8.41%. The same period saw a 21.73% increase in the count of individuals with the Karlin surname, from 2048 to 2493. The proportion of people with this surname per 100k also grew by 11.84%, indicating that the Karlin surname has become more common within the U.S population.

20002010Change
Rank#13,596#12,4528.41%
Count2,0482,49321.73%
Proportion per 100k0.760.8511.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Karlin

The data from the Decennial U.S. Census also reveals shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Karlin surname between 2000 and 2010. While the majority identified as White in both years (97.36% in 2000 and 93.34% in 2010), there was a decrease of 4.13%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic percentage showed a significant rise from 0.83% to 2.29%, a growth of 175.90%. The percentage identifying as Black went from nonexistent in 2000 to 2.01% in 2010. The number of people with the Karlin surname who identify with two or more races also increased from 0.93% to 1.12%. However, the Asian/Pacific Islander category decreased from 0.44% to 0%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained unchanged at 0%.

20002010Change
White97.36%93.34%-4.13%
Hispanic0.83%2.29%175.9%
Black0%2.01%0%
Two or More Races0.93%1.12%20.43%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.44%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Karlin 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 Karlin is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 39.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (23.6%) and French & German (18.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, Scandinavian, and Greek & Balkan.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish39.6%
British & Irish23.6%
French & German18.0%
Other18.8%
Karlin

Possible origins of the surname Karlin

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 Karlin have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom53.30%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom53.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom53.30%
Greater London, United Kingdom53.30%
Merseyside, United Kingdom53.30%

What Karlin 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 Karlin 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 Karlin surname are: H1, HV, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

karlinPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Karlin 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

Karlin

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Karlin" Surname 57.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Karlin

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Karlin" Surname 50.0%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Karlin

Vitamin Use

Takes vitamins on a regular basis.

"Karlin" Surname 37.5%

23andMe Users 45.5%

Wellness

Karlin

Migraine

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

"Karlin" Surname 13.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Karlin?

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 Karlin 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

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%