Explore the Family Name Oliphant
The meaning of Oliphant
1. English (London) and Scottish (Fife): from Old French olifard or olifant, of uncertain meaning. It has been suggested that this might be a derivative of Old French olif ‘olive’ + the pejorative suffix -ard ‘derisive nickname for one who preferred an olive branch to more martial weapons’; it may have denoted a man twisted like an olive-tree. The variant Olifant may have resulted from the substitution in Old Norman French of the sequence l-r by l-n, leading to a false association with Old French olifant ‘elephant’. This heraldic beast appears in the Scottish family’s coats of arms. Branches of the Anglo-Norman family owned lands in both England and Scotland. The surname is now chiefly Scottish. 2. English: possibly a topographic name from residence at an inn known as the Olyphaunt or ‘elephant’, though whether this gave rise to a hereditary surname is unknown.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Oliphant in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Oliphant has seen a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 5813th in terms of most common surnames, but by 2010 it had slipped to 5931st. However, despite its drop in rank, the actual number of people bearing the Oliphant surname increased from 5448 in 2000 to 5808 in 2010, illustrating a growth of 6.61%. The proportion per 100k also slightly decreased by 2.48% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,813 | #5,931 | -2.03% |
| Count | 5,448 | 5,808 | 6.61% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.02 | 1.97 | -2.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Oliphant
Concerning ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that individuals with the surname Oliphant predominantly identify as White, with this group comprising 68.80% of those with the surname in 2010, a slight decrease from 71.71% in 2000. The second largest ethnic identity is Black, which rose slightly from 24.82% in 2000 to 26.29% in 2010. The census data also shows a significant increase in the number of individuals identifying as Hispanic, up by 52.10%, and Asian/Pacific Islander, up by 48.28%. There is also a minor increase in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, and those recognizing themselves as belonging to two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 71.71% | 68.8% | -4.06% |
| Black | 24.82% | 26.29% | 5.92% |
| Two or More Races | 1.47% | 2.03% | 38.1% |
| Hispanic | 1.19% | 1.81% | 52.1% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.51% | 0.64% | 25.49% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.29% | 0.43% | 48.28% |
Oliphant 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 Oliphant is British & Irish, which comprises 49.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.4%) and Scandinavian (5.9%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.9% |
| French & German | 21.4% |
| Scandinavian | 5.9% |
| Other | 22.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Oliphant
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 Oliphant have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
What Oliphant 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 Oliphant is R-A431, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-A431 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-S660 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Daily, Mcnally, Rogan, Knapp, Swann, Marley, Meredith, Dailey, Mcmichael, Mccann.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Oliphant surname are: H1, J1c, H. 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 Oliphant 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.
"Oliphant" Surname 46.2%
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.
"Oliphant" Surname 25.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Oliphant" Surname 23.5%
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.
"Oliphant" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Oliphant?
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 Oliphant are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition