Explore the Family Name Michelson
The meaning of Michelson
1. English (Lincolnshire): patronymic from the Middle English personal name Michel (i.e. Michael, see Mitchell) + -son. Compare Michaelson. 2. Americanized form of North German, Danish, Norwegian, and Dutch Michelsen and of various other Scandinavian and North German cognates (see Michaelson and Mickelson). 3. Flemish and Dutch: patronymic from the personal name Michel (see Michael). This surname is very rare in Belgium and the Netherlands. 4. Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronymic from the Yiddish personal name Mikhl (see Michael). Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Kerith, Zev, Ari, Dorit, Elihu, Ilanit, Isadore, Meyer, Pnina, Yaacov.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Michelson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Michelson has seen a slight decrease in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 9,283rd most common surname and had 3,228 occurrences. However, by 2010, it fell to 10,224th place with a -10.14% change in rank and a slight -2.32% drop in count to 3,153 occurrences. Its proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by -10.83%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,283 | #10,224 | -10.14% |
| Count | 3,228 | 3,153 | -2.32% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.2 | 1.07 | -10.83% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Michelson
The ethnic identity of individuals with the Michelson surname has also seen some changes according to Decennial U.S. Census data. Predominantly, those with this last name identify as White, accounting for 94.95% in 2000 and slightly dropping to 93.69% in 2010. The number of people identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 26.20%, going from 2.29% in 2000 to 2.89% in 2010. Those identifying as Black also increased, though less dramatically, from 0.56% in 2000 to 0.86% in 2010 – a 53.57% rise. Interestingly, there were no individuals with this surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but by 2010, these categories accounted for 0.70% and 0.25% respectively. The proportion of individuals claiming two or more races slightly decreased from 1.67% to 1.62%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.95% | 93.69% | -1.33% |
| Hispanic | 2.29% | 2.89% | 26.2% |
| Two or More Races | 1.67% | 1.62% | -2.99% |
| Black | 0.56% | 0.86% | 53.57% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.7% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.25% | 0% |
Michelson 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 Michelson is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 34.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (22.7%) and French & German (14.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Finnish, and Italian.
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 |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 34.2% |
| British & Irish | 22.7% |
| French & German | 14.3% |
| Other | 28.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Michelson
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 Michelson have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 46.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 46.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 46.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 45.50% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 45.50% |
What Michelson 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 Michelson is E-L791, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-L791 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-M269 and I-L22, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sobel, Wolfson, Wasserman, Bergman, Goldberg, Jacobson, Abramson, Weiss, Margolis, Silverman.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Michelson surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Napolean Bonaparte
The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte descended from the common ancestor of haplogroup E-M34. The male line of the Bonaparte family was from Tuscany, where Napoleon's earliest known male ancestors lived for at least six generations. Eleven generations before Napoleon, his ancestor, Giovanni, was the first to leave Tuscany for Corsica. The Bonaparte lineage lived in Corsica for ten generations before Napoleon's father, Charles-Marie Bonaparte. Charles-Marie (born in 1746) married Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, at the age of 18 in 1764.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Michelson 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.
"Michelson" Surname 32.5%
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.
"Michelson" Surname 23.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Michelson" Surname 12.2%
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.
"Michelson" Surname 24.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Michelson?
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 Michelson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition