Explore the Family Name Khoury

The meaning of Khoury

Arabic (mainly Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan): from khūrī ‘priest’, in particular a Christian priest. This surname is used among Christians, including Assyrians/Chaldeans. Compare Cory, Coury, Cury, Elkhoury, Khouri, Kory, Koury, and Kury. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Nabil, Sami, Samir, Issa, Ibrahim, Ramzi, Bassam, Fouad, Habib, Issam, Jamil, Riad. French Michel, Antoine, Emile, Pierre, Andre, Camille, Clemence, Clovis, Georges, Gisele, Henri, Jacques.

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

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

According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Khoury" has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 6480 in terms of commonality, but by 2010 it rose to a rank of 5980, representing a 7.72% improvement. The count of people with this last name also increased from 4833 to 5753, a growth of 19.04%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals with the surname per 100,000 people grew by 8.94%, from 1.79 to 1.95.

20002010Change
Rank#6,480#5,9807.72%
Count4,8335,75319.04%
Proportion per 100k1.791.958.94%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Khoury

The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Khoury" also experienced changes between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. A significant portion of Khourys are white, making up 87.94% in 2000 and increasing slightly to 90.96% in 2010. The number of Khourys identifying as Hispanic also increased, moving from 2.83% to 3.82%. However, those identifying with two or more ethnicities dropped sharply from 7.80% to 3.88%. Additionally, there was a decrease in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, falling from 0.89% to 0.70%. New categories emerged in 2010, with 0.54% identifying as Black and 0.10% as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White87.94%90.96%3.43%
Two or More Races7.8%3.88%-50.26%
Hispanic2.83%3.82%34.98%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.89%0.7%-21.35%
Black0%0.54%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.1%0%

Khoury 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 Khoury is Levantine, which comprises 60.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (11.6%) and French & German (7.9%). Additional ancestries include Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, 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
Levantine60.9%
British & Irish11.6%
French & German7.9%
Other19.5%
Khoury

Possible origins of the surname Khoury

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 Khoury have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Lebanon, and Syria.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Beirut Governorate, Lebanon77.70%
Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon76.60%
North Governorate, Lebanon76.60%
Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon75.50%
South Governorate, Lebanon73.40%

What Khoury 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 Khoury 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 E-L29 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mansour, Weinstein, Hassan, Salem, Ibrahim, Haddad, Feldman, Shapiro, Silverman, Schwartz.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Khoury surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

khouryPaternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Paternal Haplo Image

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Khoury 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

Khoury

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Khoury" Surname 42.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Khoury

Misophonia

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

"Khoury" Surname 27.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Khoury

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Khoury" Surname 8.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Khoury

Migraine

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

"Khoury" Surname 13.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Khoury?

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 Khoury 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

Levantine 63.4%

23andMe Users 57.2%