Explore the Family Name Magnus
The meaning of Magnus
1. German, Flemish, and Walloon: from the personal name Magnus, which is from the Latin adjective magnus ‘great’ or a Latinized form of a short form of ancient Germanic compound names based on the element magan ‘strength, might’. The name was borne by several early Christian saints, including St. Magnus (8th century), a monk in St. Gallen in Switzerland and missionary in Allgäu in southern Germany, whose real name was Magnoald. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). In Belgium, it may also be a Latinized (humanistic) form of Walloon Legrand. 2. English, Scottish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and North German: from the Scandinavian personal name Magnus, borne by Magnus the Good (died 1047), king of Norway and Denmark, who was named for the Emperor Charlemagne, Latin Carolus Magnus ‘Charles the Great’, under the impression that Magnus was a personal name. The name spread from Norway to the eastern Scandinavian royal houses, and became popular all over Scandinavia and thence in the English Danelaw. It has also been adopted as a Jewish name. Some characteristic forenames: German Gerhard, Bernd, Egon, Erwin, Kurt, Otto, Reinhard, Volker, Wilhelm, Wolfgang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Magnus in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Magnus" has seen subtle fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the name ranked at 12,938 in terms of popularity which slightly decreased to 13,316 by 2010, indicating a -2.92% change. However, the number of times the surname was counted increased from 2,177 in 2000 to 2,291 in 2010, reflecting an increase of 5.24%. The proportion per 100,000 people dropped marginally from 0.81 to 0.78 over the same period, marking a -3.7% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,938 | #13,316 | -2.92% |
| Count | 2,177 | 2,291 | 5.24% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.81 | 0.78 | -3.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Magnus
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that individuals with the surname "Magnus" identified themselves predominantly as White, though this percentage declined slightly from 89.48% in 2000 to 87.73% in 2010. Other significant changes over the decade include a marked increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (up 164.29%), Hispanic (up 44.13%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (up 54.05%). Conversely, there was a decline in those identifying with two or more races (down 17.82%). The percentage of individuals identifying as Black also rose, albeit modestly, from 6.06% to 6.72%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.48% | 87.73% | -1.96% |
| Black | 6.06% | 6.72% | 10.89% |
| Hispanic | 1.79% | 2.58% | 44.13% |
| Two or More Races | 2.02% | 1.66% | -17.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.28% | 0.74% | 164.29% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.37% | 0.57% | 54.05% |
Magnus 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 Magnus is British & Irish, which comprises 31.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (13.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 31.8% |
| French & German | 16.8% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 13.3% |
| Other | 38.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Magnus
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 Magnus have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 67.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 67.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 67.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 67.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 66.20% |
What Magnus 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 Magnus 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 Magnus 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 Magnus 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.
"Magnus" Surname 40.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Magnus" Surname 58.3%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Magnus" Surname 24.0%
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.
"Magnus" Surname 23.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Magnus?
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 Magnus are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition