Explore the Family Name Major
The meaning of Major
1. English (of Norman origin): from the personal name Malg(i)er, Maug(i)er, an Old French form of ancient Germanic Madalgar(i) (see Mauger). 2. Hungarian: from a shortened form of majorosgazda (see Majoros) or a derivative of German Meyer. 3. Polish, Czech, and Slovak: from the military rank major (derived from Latin maior ‘greater’), a word related to English mayor and the German surname Meyer. 4. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from a variant of the personal name Meyer (see Meyer 2). 5. French (Occitan): from major ‘major’ (from Latin maior ‘greater’), denoting a prominent or important person, such as a mayor, or the first-born son of a family. 6. French Canadian: from major ‘major’, used as a soldier’s name (originally in the form Le Major). 7. Americanized form of French and Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) Mauger, a cognate of 1 above.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Major in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Major" has seen slight shifts between 2000 and 2010. In terms of rank, this surname dropped slightly from 1659 in 2000 to 1714 in 2010, a decline of 3.32%. However, the actual count of people with the Major surname increased by approximately 6% over that decade, rising from 19,791 to 20,977 individuals. The proportion per 100,000 people of this surname also experienced a small decrease of 3.13%, moving from 7.34 to 7.11 during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,659 | #1,714 | -3.32% |
| Count | 19,791 | 20,977 | 5.99% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.34 | 7.11 | -3.13% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Major
Discussing ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates some changes in the ethnicity associated with the surname "Major" between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, two or more races, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native increased, with the most significant growth seen in the Hispanic group at 61.82%. Individuals identifying as White declined by -3.65%. By 2010, the largest groups were those identifying as White (61.06%) and Black (32.84%). Despite some changes, the data reflects a diverse array of ethnic identities connected to the surname "Major."
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 63.37% | 61.06% | -3.65% |
| Black | 32.17% | 32.84% | 2.08% |
| Hispanic | 1.65% | 2.67% | 61.82% |
| Two or More Races | 1.95% | 2.24% | 14.87% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.43% | 0.66% | 53.49% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.43% | 0.53% | 23.26% |
Major 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 Major is British & Irish, which comprises 44.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.0%) and Eastern European (6.9%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.9% |
| French & German | 21.0% |
| Eastern European | 6.9% |
| Other | 27.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Major
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 Major have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 71.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 71.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 71.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 71.00% |
What Major 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 Major is R-CTS2501, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS2501 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wesley, Ellis, Simmons, Wright, Howard, Williams, Webb, Davis, Morrison, Smith.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Major surname are: H1, H, V. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Major 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.
"Major" Surname 41.9%
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.
"Major" Surname 22.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Major" Surname 15.6%
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.
"Major" Surname 16.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Major?
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 Major are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition