Explore the Family Name Leroux
The meaning of Leroux
1. French: nickname for a red-haired man, a variant of Roux ‘red’, with fused masculine definite article le. 2. French: sometimes also a habitational name from Le Roux, the name of several places in various parts of France. The surname in the form Leroux (in any of the two possible senses; see also 1 above) is also found in the Dominican Republic, while the form Le Roux, originating from Normandy, is established in South Africa. Compare Larew, Laroux, Larrew, Larue 2, and Lerew. 3. Breton (Le Roux): nickname for a red-haired man, from Old French ro(u)s ‘red’ (see Roux), with the French masculine definite article le. History: This surname is listed (in the form Le Roux) in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors (along with the variants La Rue and Larew). The Huguenot ancestors were Antoine and Pierre Le Roux, probably brothers, from Calais, France, whose grandsons Abraham and Jacques arrived in NY in the 1670s. Their descendants bear only altered forms of the surname, such as Larue, which is probably the most common, and Larew, Larrew, Lerew, Lero, and Rue. The surname Le Roux is also listed in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America, with names Abraham, Bartholomew, and Peter. — François Leroux dit Cardinal from Senillé in Vienne, France, married Marie Renaud in Quebec City, QC, in 1668. His descendants also bear the surnames Cardinal and Toussaint. — The South African bearers of the surname Le Roux trace their origin to Jean Le Roux from Normandy, France, who was in the Dutch Cape Colony by 1690. He married Marie de Haas, c.1700. He is recognized as a French Huguenot ancestor by the Huguenot Society of South Africa. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Pierre, Jacques, Lucien, Marcel, Alain, Armand, Alcide, Donat, Ludger, Yves, Adrien.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Leroux in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Leroux has seen a slight increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Leroux was ranked the 10,557th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had risen to the 10,339th position, a change of approximately 2.06%. The number of people with the Leroux surname also increased during this time period from 2,788 to 3,115, representing an 11.73% surge. As a result, the proportion of Lerouxs per 100,000 people grew by almost 3%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,557 | #10,339 | 2.06% |
| Count | 2,788 | 3,115 | 11.73% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.03 | 1.06 | 2.91% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Leroux
On the other hand, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Leroux surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Lerouxs who identify as White decreased by around 5%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase of 66%. There was also a notable uptick in the number of Lerouxs identifying as Black (86%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (68%). Lerouxs of two or more ethnicities and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw minor increases of about 5% and 7% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.46% | 87.06% | -4.81% |
| Hispanic | 5.24% | 8.7% | 66.03% |
| Two or More Races | 1.69% | 1.77% | 4.73% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.65% | 1.09% | 67.69% |
| Black | 0.43% | 0.8% | 86.05% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.58% | 7.41% |
Leroux 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 Leroux is French & German, which comprises 37.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (36.5%) and Spanish & Portuguese (7.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 37.6% |
| British & Irish | 36.5% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 7.4% |
| Other | 18.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Leroux
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 Leroux have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 62.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 62.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 61.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 61.80% |
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 61.80% |
What Leroux 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 Leroux 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 Leroux surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
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.
What do people with the surname Leroux 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.
"Leroux" Surname 25.0%
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.
"Leroux" Surname 35.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"Leroux" Surname 64.3%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Leroux" Surname 27.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Leroux?
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 Leroux are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition