Explore the Family Name Landau
The meaning of Landau
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from either of two places called Landau, in the Palatinate and in Alsace, named with Old High German lant ‘land, territory’ + auwa ‘damp valley’. According to family history, the Jewish surname originated from the Palatinate. History: This is one of the old Ashkenazic surnames. In Eastern Europe, it was used by rabbinical families well before the mass adoption of surnames by local Jews at the turn of the 19th century. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Chaim, Emanuel, Aron, Avi, Zev, Shulem, Yaakov, Zvi, Ari, Hyman, Meyer.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Landau in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Landau has shown a rise in popularity during the 2000s. In 2000, the surname ranked 6664 in terms of prevalence, but it rose to 6137 in 2010, indicating a 7.91% increase. The number of people bearing the Landau surname also grew significantly during this period, with the count increasing from 4675 in 2000 to 5582 in 2010, translating to a 19.4% increase. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Landau per 100,000 people also increased by 9.25%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,664 | #6,137 | 7.91% |
| Count | 4,675 | 5,582 | 19.4% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.73 | 1.89 | 9.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Landau
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the Landau surname identify as White, with percentages remaining relatively stable between 2000 and 2010 (95.98% and 95.72%, respectively). The percentage of Hispanic individuals with this surname saw a significant increase over these years, rising from 1.65% to 2.33%. Notably, there was a new appearance of Asian/Pacific Islanders in 2010 who didn't exist in the 2000 census, while the count of those identifying under two or more races decreased from 1.78% to 0.75% during the same period. Individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native were either absent or their data was suppressed for privacy in both censuses.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.98% | 95.72% | -0.27% |
| Hispanic | 1.65% | 2.33% | 41.21% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.81% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.78% | 0.75% | -57.87% |
| Black | 0.3% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Landau 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 Landau is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 54.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (17.8%) and French & German (11.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 54.7% |
| British & Irish | 17.8% |
| French & German | 11.9% |
| Other | 15.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Landau
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 Landau have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 39.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 38.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 38.40% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 38.40% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 38.40% |
What Landau 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 Landau 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 R-CTS6 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lewin, Resnick, Rosenfeld, Levinson, Feldman, Pollack, Silverstein, Berman, Rosenberg, Stern.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Landau surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
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.
What do people with the surname Landau 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.
"Landau" Surname 40.7%
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.
"Landau" Surname 27.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Landau" Surname 18.0%
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.
"Landau" Surname 10.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Landau?
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 Landau are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition