Explore the Family Name Lorenzo

The meaning of Lorenzo

Spanish and Italian: from the personal name Lorenzo, derived from Latin Laurentius (see Lawrence). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Juan, Luis, Carlos, Alfredo, Ana, Julio, Jorge, Orlando, Roberto, Sergio. Italian Angelo, Antonio, Lorenzo, Luigi, Ottavio, Aldo, Amedio, Carmelo, Cecilio, Ciro, Dario, Dino.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Lorenzo in the United States?

According to data based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Lorenzo has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 2,643 among all U.S surnames, and by 2010, it had climbed to a rank of 2,024, indicating a positive change of 23.42%. The total count of individuals with this surname also grew substantially from 12,568 in 2000 to 17,825 in 2010, marking an increase of 41.83%. This rise is reflected in the proportion per 100,000 people, which grew from 4.66 to 6.04, a change of 29.61%.

20002010Change
Rank#2,643#2,02423.42%
Count12,56817,82541.83%
Proportion per 100k4.666.0429.61%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lorenzo

In terms of ethnicity, the information derived from the Decennial U.S. Census shows a shift in the distribution among those bearing the surname Lorenzo. In 2000, the highest proportion of Lorenzos identified as Hispanic (57.64%), and this percentage increased to 66.75% by 2010. The percentage of Lorenzos identifying as white decreased significantly from 27.40% to 19.68%. A small decline was observed among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaskan Native, dropping by 8.74%, 20.56%, and 13.51%, respectively. However, the percentage of Lorenzos identifying with two or more races saw a slight increase from 1.75% to 1.78%.

20002010Change
Hispanic57.64%66.75%15.8%
White27.4%19.68%-28.18%
Asian/Pacific Islander10.3%9.4%-8.74%
Two or More Races1.75%1.78%1.71%
Black1.8%1.43%-20.56%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.11%0.96%-13.51%

Lorenzo 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 Lorenzo is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 36.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (11.4%) and Italian (10.5%). Additional ancestries include Filipino & Austronesian, Indigenous American, French & German, Eastern European, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese36.6%
British & Irish11.4%
Italian10.5%
Other41.6%
Lorenzo

Possible origins of the surname Lorenzo

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 Lorenzo have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Spain, and Cuba.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Canary Islands, Spain32.70%
Galicia, Spain32.70%
Andalusia, Spain32.10%
Castile And Leon, Spain30.90%
Havana, Cuba27.60%

What Lorenzo 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 Lorenzo 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 R-P311 and J-CTS5368, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wolf, Pinto, Hoffman, Romano, Wolfe, Roth, Klein, Schaeffer, Walter, Becker.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lorenzo surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

lorenzoPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

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 some of the first Americans

Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Lorenzo 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

Lorenzo

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Lorenzo" Surname 35.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Lorenzo

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Lorenzo" Surname 26.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Lorenzo

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Lorenzo" Surname 14.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Lorenzo

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Lorenzo" Surname 16.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Lorenzo?

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 Lorenzo are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%