Explore the Family Name Olmstead
The meaning of Olmstead
English: habitational name from Olmstead Green in Cambridgeshire.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Olmstead in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the Olmstead surname saw a slight fluctuation between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 4181st most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped slightly to 4430th. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Olmstead surname increased from 7859 to 8021. However, when considered as a proportion per 100,000 people, the presence of the Olmstead surname reduced by 6.53%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,181 | #4,430 | -5.96% |
| Count | 7,859 | 8,021 | 2.06% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.91 | 2.72 | -6.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Olmstead
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some interesting shifts over the same period. The biggest change was in the Asian/Pacific Islander category where the percentage of Olmsteads increased by nearly 80%. There were also significant increases in the proportions of those identifying as Hispanic (up by 41.67%) and those identifying as two or more races (up by 33.33%). However, the majority of Olmsteads identified as White, though this proportion declined slightly from 95.62% in 2000 to 94.12% in 2010. Smaller proportions identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native, but both these categories saw modest growth over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.62% | 94.12% | -1.57% |
| Hispanic | 1.68% | 2.38% | 41.67% |
| Two or More Races | 1.17% | 1.56% | 33.33% |
| Black | 0.65% | 0.71% | 9.23% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.53% | 0.62% | 16.98% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.34% | 0.61% | 79.41% |
Olmstead 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 Olmstead is British & Irish, which comprises 51.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (28.6%) and Scandinavian (4.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.1% |
| French & German | 28.6% |
| Scandinavian | 4.9% |
| Other | 15.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Olmstead
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 Olmstead 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 | 88.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
What Olmstead 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 Olmstead is R-A874, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-A874 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-S14328, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Geer, Olmsted, Mclemore, Brunelle, Buckland, Seger, Walters, Reddick, Welch, Black.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Olmstead 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 Olmstead 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.
"Olmstead" Surname 52.2%
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.
"Olmstead" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Olmstead" Surname 19.1%
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.
"Olmstead" Surname 15.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Olmstead?
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 Olmstead are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition