Explore the Family Name Mayers
The meaning of Mayers
1. English: variant of Mayer, with post-medieval excrescent -s. 2. Irish and English: variant of Myers. 3. German and Dutch: patronymic from Mayer. Compare Myers. 4. Americanized form of German Mayer, with excrescent -s.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Mayers in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Mayers held a rank of 5688 in popularity in 2000 and slightly decreased to 5708 by 2010, a minor change of -0.35%. However, the count of individuals with the Mayers surname increased from 5592 to 6076 during the same period, showing an increase of 8.66%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 people remained virtually unchanged at around 2.06 over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,688 | #5,708 | -0.35% |
| Count | 5,592 | 6,076 | 8.66% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.07 | 2.06 | -0.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mayers
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data showed some changes between 2000 and 2010 for surname Mayers. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased slightly from 0.45 to 0.48, while those identifying with two or more races saw a significant rise from 1.97 to 2.50. Conversely, the number of individuals identifying as White dropped from 56.74 to 53.51. Those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 4.20 to 5.12, while the Black community experienced a modest increase from 36.28 to 38.02. Lastly, there was a marginal increase in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, moving from 0.36 to 0.38.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 56.74% | 53.51% | -5.69% |
| Black | 36.28% | 38.02% | 4.8% |
| Hispanic | 4.2% | 5.12% | 21.9% |
| Two or More Races | 1.97% | 2.5% | 26.9% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.48% | 6.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0.38% | 5.56% |
Mayers 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 Mayers is British & Irish, which comprises 39.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.5%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (12.8%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Italian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 39.0% |
| French & German | 19.5% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 12.8% |
| Other | 28.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Mayers
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 Mayers have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 67.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 67.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 67.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 67.90% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 67.20% |
What Mayers 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 Mayers is E-M5021, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-M5021 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-M304 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kremer, Coles, Hermann, Hodge, Harden, Simons, Rivers, Wesley, Davis, Hines.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Mayers surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to early European farmers
If you have haplogroup E1b1b1, your paternal line stems from a branch of E-M215 called E-M5021. Men bearing this lineage migrated from the Balkans to southwestern Europe during the spread of agriculture by early farmers in the agricultural revolution, which began about 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Early members of haplogroup E1b1b1, some of the world's first farmers, had a competitive advantage over native men, who didn't have farming technology. As a result of this advantage, haplogroup E1b1b1 became widespread and populous during the agricultural revolution. The effects of this ancient advantage are still seen today, with haplogroup E1b1b1 being represented from Portugal and Spain to Palestine, southern Africa, and Russia.
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 Mayers 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.
"Mayers" Surname 47.6%
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.
"Mayers" Surname 17.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Mayers" Surname 29.6%
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.
"Mayers" Surname 18.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Mayers?
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 Mayers are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition