Explore the Family Name Livingston
The meaning of Livingston
1. Scottish: habitational name from a place in Lothian, originally named in Middle English as Levingston. The placename derives from the Middle English personal name Leving (genitive Levinges) + Middle English, Older Scots toun ‘town, village, settlement’. In the US, this surname (in any of the two possible senses; see also 2 below) is also established among African Americans. 2. Irish: surname adopted as equivalent of Gaelic Ó Duinnshléibhe and Mac Duinnshléibhe (see Dunleavy). 3. Americanized form of Jewish Lowenstein. History: This is the name of an influential family of colonial and postcolonial America. The founder was Robert Livingston (1654–1728), who was taken by his father to the Netherlands, where he grew up bilingual. This gave him a particular advantage in the former territory of New Netherland, to which he emigrated in 1673. Among other offices, he held that of commissioner of Indian affairs. He married Alida Schuyler, widow of Nicolaes van Rensselaer, which gave him access to the highest and most influential families of NY. He acquired huge land holdings along the Hudson River, upon which he served as lord of the manor. His grandsons were Philip (1716–78), who signed the Declaration of Independence, and William (1723–90), first governor of NJ, who was a signer of the Constitution. A great-grandson, Robert R. Livingston (1746–1813), as minister to France, negotiated the purchase of LA in 1803.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Livingston in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Livingston has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 766th most popular surname, while in 2010 it dropped slightly to 821st place, a change of -7.18%. However, the actual count of people with this surname increased by 2.78% during this period, from 40,964 to 42,103. The proportion of individuals with the name Livingston per 100,000 people also decreased by 6.06%, from 15.19 to 14.27.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #766 | #821 | -7.18% |
| Count | 40,964 | 42,103 | 2.78% |
| Proportion per 100k | 15.19 | 14.27 | -6.06% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Livingston
Regarding the ethnicity of people with the surname Livingston, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates some changes between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as White made up the majority at 74.69% in 2000, but this percentage declined slightly to 72.08% in 2010. Conversely, those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 49.11%, rising from 1.69% to 2.52%. The census also shows increases among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (up 12.5%), two or more races (up 32.68%), Black (up 5.61%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (up 6.01%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.69% | 72.08% | -3.49% |
| Black | 19.78% | 20.89% | 5.61% |
| Hispanic | 1.69% | 2.52% | 49.11% |
| Two or More Races | 1.53% | 2.03% | 32.68% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.83% | 1.94% | 6.01% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.48% | 0.54% | 12.5% |
Livingston 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 Livingston is British & Irish, which comprises 51.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.0%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.4% |
| French & German | 23.0% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 4.1% |
| Other | 21.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Livingston
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 Livingston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
What Livingston 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 Livingston is R-Z19, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z19 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS4179, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Howard, Lawrence, Randall, Mitchell, Bryant, Sutton, West, Brown, Smith, Stephens.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Livingston surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI
The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.
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 Livingston 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.
"Livingston" Surname 42.0%
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.
"Livingston" Surname 24.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Livingston" Surname 21.4%
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.
"Livingston" Surname 19.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Livingston?
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 Livingston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition