Explore the Family Name Ming
The meaning of Ming
1. English: possibly from a shortened form of Mingay, from the Breton personal name Menguy (composed of the Breton elements men ‘stone’ and ki ‘dog’). The personal name was introduced to England after the Conquest by Breton followers of the Normans. 2. Chinese: Mandarin or Cantonese form of the surname 明: (i) from the personal name Ming (明), which was the style name of Meng Ming Shi (孟明視), a famous general in the state of Qin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) adopted as a surname during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD) by the Yi Dou Juan (壹鬥眷) family, who were members of the Xianbei ethnic group in ancient northern China. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 閔, see Min 1. 4. Chinese: Teochew, Hokkien or Taiwanese form of the surname 孟, see Meng 1. These dialects can be found in eastern Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan, from where many people migrated to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia. 5. Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese names 明 (meaning ‘bright’) or 銘 (meaning ‘inscription’) or 鳴 (meaning ‘singing of birds’), which were monosyllabic personal names or part of disyllabic personal names of some early Chinese immigrants in the US. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Chen, Fung, Hing, Ming, Tzu, Wing, Xing, Chi, Choo, Fan, Guang, Guo Wei.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ming in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ming has seen a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 6968 in popularity, with 4434 counts, and a proportion per 100k at 1.64. By 2010, the rank had dropped by 25.11% to 8718, and the count decreased by 15.11% to 3764. The representation of this surname per 100k also reduced by 21.95% to 1.28.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,968 | #8,718 | -25.11% |
| Count | 4,434 | 3,764 | -15.11% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.64 | 1.28 | -21.95% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ming
As for the ethnic identity associated with the Ming surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 16.13% in 2000 to 21.63% in 2010. Individuals who identify with two or more races also rose from 3.45% to 4.54%. On the other hand, those identifying as White saw a 9.73% decrease, while Black identifiers decreased by 12.94%. Hispanic identification experienced a substantial increase of 66.52%, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a growth of 23.08%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 54.98% | 49.63% | -9.73% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 16.13% | 21.63% | 34.1% |
| Black | 22.49% | 19.58% | -12.94% |
| Two or More Races | 3.45% | 4.54% | 31.59% |
| Hispanic | 2.3% | 3.83% | 66.52% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.8% | 23.08% |
Ming 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 Ming is British & Irish, which comprises 30.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Chinese (24.0%) and French & German (18.8%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 30.4% |
| Chinese | 24.0% |
| French & German | 18.8% |
| Other | 26.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Ming
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 Ming have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 56.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 56.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 56.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 56.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 56.30% |
What Ming 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 Ming 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 Ming surname are: M, B4, 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 Ming 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
Likes Sweets
Enjoys eating sweets more than other people.
"Ming" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 33.8%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Ming" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Ming" Surname 13.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Ming?
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 Ming are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition