Explore the Family Name Lamar
The meaning of Lamar
1. Altered form of French Lamarre. 2. Altered form of French Lemaire. 3. Spanish: habitational name for someone from either of two places called Mar in Asturias.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lamar in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Lamar has seen a slight shift between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Lamar was ranked as the 3010th most popular surname in the United States, while in 2010, it fell slightly to 3057th place, indicating a 1.56% drop in rank. However, the actual count of individuals with the Lamar surname increased from 11,030 in 2000 to 11,733 in 2010, an increase of 6.37%. This means that despite the drop in rank, the surname Lamar has grown in terms of absolute numbers, although its proportion per 100k people also experienced a small decline of 2.69%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,010 | #3,057 | -1.56% |
| Count | 11,030 | 11,733 | 6.37% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.09 | 3.98 | -2.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lamar
The ethnic identity of those bearing the Lamar surname has likewise evolved over this decade, as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority identified as White (53.36%) or Black (39.46%), followed by Hispanic (4.40%), then those of two or more races (1.84%), with Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native both at 0.47%. By 2010, there were some minor shifts: White identification dropped to 51.14%, while the percentage identifying as Black remained relatively stable at 39.09%. Notably, all other categories saw increases, with the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increasing most dramatically, by 82.98% to reach 0.86% of the total. Those identifying as two or more races increased by 39.67% to make up 2.57% of the group, while the percentage identifying as Hispanic rose by 32.27% to reach 5.82%. The American Indian/Alaskan Native category also saw a slight increase to 0.51%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 53.36% | 51.14% | -4.16% |
| Black | 39.46% | 39.09% | -0.94% |
| Hispanic | 4.4% | 5.82% | 32.27% |
| Two or More Races | 1.84% | 2.57% | 39.67% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.47% | 0.86% | 82.98% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.47% | 0.51% | 8.51% |
Lamar 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 Lamar is British & Irish, which comprises 45.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.9%) and Nigerian (6.1%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 45.6% |
| French & German | 21.9% |
| Nigerian | 6.1% |
| Other | 26.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Lamar
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 Lamar have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 71.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 71.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 71.20% |
What Lamar 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 Lamar is J-L283, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L283 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Brinkley, Vernon, Bowles, Beaver, Ramsay, Wimmer, Braithwaite, Brock, Starr, Pabon.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lamar surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your 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 Lamar 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.
"Lamar" Surname 40.9%
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.
"Lamar" Surname 35.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Lamar" Surname 21.6%
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.
"Lamar" Surname 21.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lamar?
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 Lamar are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition