Explore the Family Name Kiss
The meaning of Kiss
1. Hungarian: from kis ‘small’, applied as a nickname for a person of small stature. The surname is contrasted with Nagy and was often used also to describe the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. Compare Kis. 2. English (of Norman origin): nickname from Anglo-Norman French cuisse ‘thigh’ (from Latin coxa), perhaps denoting a maker of leather armour for the thighs. Some characteristic forenames: Hungarian Laszlo, Zoltan, Sandor, Bela, Gabor, Tibor, Attila, Imre, Istvan, Miklos, Arpad, Ferenc.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kiss in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Kiss has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8431st most common surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 8305th position—a 1.49% change. The number of people sharing this surname also grew during this period, from 3601 to 3990, a growth rate of 10.8%. This meant that for every 100,000 people, about 1.35 had the surname Kiss in 2010, up from 1.33 in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,431 | #8,305 | 1.49% |
| Count | 3,601 | 3,990 | 10.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.33 | 1.35 | 1.5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kiss
The ethnicity breakdown for the surname Kiss, according to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, shows a diverse range. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White (94%), a proportion that slightly decreased to 93.81% by 2010. There was an increase in the proportions of those identifying as Hispanic and Black, going from 2.94% to 3.58%, and 0.53% to 0.63%, respectively. While the percentage of those identifying with two or more races decreased from 1.94% to 1.18%, there was a small emergence of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native by 2010, which were previously unrecorded in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94% | 93.81% | -0.2% |
| Hispanic | 2.94% | 3.58% | 21.77% |
| Two or More Races | 1.94% | 1.18% | -39.18% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.68% | 0% |
| Black | 0.53% | 0.63% | 18.87% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.13% | 0% |
Kiss 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 Kiss is Eastern European, which comprises 38.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.8%) and British & Irish (14.0%). Additional ancestries include Greek & Balkan, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Eastern European | 38.9% |
| French & German | 24.8% |
| British & Irish | 14.0% |
| Other | 22.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Kiss
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 Kiss have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Hungary, and Poland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Budapest, Hungary | 47.00% |
| Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland | 44.30% |
| Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland | 43.60% |
| Masovian Voivodeship, Poland | 42.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 33.60% |
What Kiss 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 Kiss is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include I-CTS5966 and J-M410, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Popov, Petrov, Ivanov, Bock, Varga, Kraft, Novotny, Lesko, Longo, Pappas.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Kiss surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants
Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.
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 Kiss 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.
"Kiss" Surname 31.2%
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.
"Kiss" Surname 35.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Kiss" Surname 31.4%
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.
"Kiss" Surname 22.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Kiss?
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 Kiss are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition