Explore the Family Name Moorhead
The meaning of Moorhead
Scottish and English: variant of Muirhead.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Moorhead in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Moorhead' saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 6992 with a count of 4,420, representing about 1.64 per 100,000 people. However, by 2010, its rank had slipped to 7666, and the count dropped slightly to 4,332, or approximately 1.47 per 100,000. This represents a change of -9.64 in rank and -1.99 in count over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,992 | #7,666 | -9.64% |
| Count | 4,420 | 4,332 | -1.99% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.64 | 1.47 | -10.37% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Moorhead
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census also showed some interesting trends for individuals with the surname 'Moorhead'. A majority of them identified as White, accounting for 93.64% in 2000 and 93.17% in 2010, marking a small decrease of 0.50%. The proportion of those identifying as Hispanic saw the most significant increase, going from 1.63% in 2000 to 2.33% in 2010, a rise of nearly 43%. On the other hand, there was a considerable drop in the number of people identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 0.34% to 0.14%, a decline of around 59%. There were minor increases in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and two or more ethnicities, whereas the percentage of those identifying as Black decreased by nearly 10%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.64% | 93.17% | -0.5% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 2.33% | 42.94% |
| Black | 2.51% | 2.26% | -9.96% |
| Two or More Races | 1.29% | 1.48% | 14.73% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.59% | 0.62% | 5.08% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.34% | 0.14% | -58.82% |
Moorhead 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 Moorhead is British & Irish, which comprises 56.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.7%) and Eastern European (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Greek & Balkan, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.7% |
| French & German | 21.7% |
| Eastern European | 3.8% |
| Other | 17.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Moorhead
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 Moorhead have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 92.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 92.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 92.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 92.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 92.40% |
What Moorhead 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 Moorhead is R-L664, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L664 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-M417, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Willard, Couch, Fenn, Hawks, Dent, Hand, Ives, Drake, Epps, Moorehead.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Moorhead surname are: H1c, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Moorhead 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.
"Moorhead" Surname 47.9%
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.
"Moorhead" Surname 30.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Moorhead" Surname 9.8%
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.
"Moorhead" Surname 19.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Moorhead?
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 Moorhead are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition