Explore the Family Name Overby

The meaning of Overby

1. Norwegian (Øverby): habitational name from any of some twenty farmsteads, chiefly in southeastern Norway, named Øverby, from Old Norse Øfribýr, a compound of øfri ‘upper’ + býr ‘farmstead’. 2. Danish: habitational name from any of several places so named, same meaning as 1 above.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Overby in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Overby has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Overby ranked 5063 in terms of popular surnames, dropping to 5512 by 2010. This represents an 8.87% decrease in ranking. Additionally, the number of individuals with the surname Overby also declined slightly during this period, from 6354 in 2000 to 6311 in 2010, a reduction of 0.68%. The proportion of Overbys per 100,000 people also fell by 9.32%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,063#5,512-8.87%
Count6,3546,311-0.68%
Proportion per 100k2.362.14-9.32%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Overby

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals with the surname Overby who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 38.71%, while those identifying as two or more races saw a rise of 30.91%. Those identifying as White represented the largest category, but their percentage decreased slightly by 1.33%. The Hispanic population within the Overby surname grew by 77.39%, although it still represents a small proportion overall. There was a minimal increase in the Black population of 0.34%. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group decreased by 41.67%.

20002010Change
White85.03%83.9%-1.33%
Black11.8%11.84%0.34%
Hispanic1.15%2.04%77.39%
Two or More Races1.1%1.44%30.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.31%0.43%38.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.6%0.35%-41.67%

Overby 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 Overby 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 (21.8%) and Scandinavian (12.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish49.9%
French & German21.8%
Scandinavian12.1%
Other16.2%
Overby

Possible origins of the surname Overby

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 Overby have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom84.60%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.60%
West Midlands, United Kingdom84.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom84.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom84.60%

What Overby 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 Overby is I-FGC15106, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-FGC15106 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. 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: Nickell, Combs, Everitt, Farmer, Blake, Peyton, Matthews, Benson, Cooke, Slater.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Overby surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

overbyPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Overby 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

Overby

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Overby" Surname 42.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Overby

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Overby" Surname 30.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Overby

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Overby" Surname 28.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Overby

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Overby" Surname 16.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Overby?

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 Overby are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%