Explore the Family Name Payne
The meaning of Payne
English: from the Middle English and Old French personal name Pai(e)n, Pagen (from Latin Paganus), a fairly common personal name among Normans. It derived from a word that originally meant ‘villager, rustic’, later ‘heathen’, but it had doubtless lost these connotations in its use as a late medieval personal name. This name has also been established in Ireland since the 14th century. History: Thomas Payne, who was a freeman of Plymouth Colony in 1639, was the founder of a large American family, which included Robert Treat Paine (1731–1814), one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. See also Paine.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Payne in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Payne has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Payne ranked as the 183rd most common surname in the United States, but its rank dropped to 195 by 2010, indicating a 6.56% decrease in popularity. However, the total count of individuals with this surname actually increased over that period, from 138,028 in 2000 to 142,601 in 2010, a growth rate of approximately 3.31%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #183 | #195 | -6.56% |
| Count | 138,028 | 142,601 | 3.31% |
| Proportion per 100k | 51.17 | 48.34 | -5.53% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Payne
Shifting focus to the ethnicity associated with the surname Payne, as per the Decennial U.S. Census, there was considerable variation between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 28.57%, while those reporting two or more races saw an increase of 35.43%. The percentage of people with the surname Payne who identified as White decreased slightly, by 2.90%, making up 71.55% of the population in 2010. In contrast, the proportion of Hispanic individuals increased by 47.56%, even though they still constitute a small part of the overall population. The Black community showed a modest increase of 2.72%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category also saw a small growth of 7.41%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 73.69% | 71.55% | -2.9% |
| Black | 22.03% | 22.63% | 2.72% |
| Hispanic | 1.64% | 2.42% | 47.56% |
| Two or More Races | 1.75% | 2.37% | 35.43% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.54% | 0.58% | 7.41% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.35% | 0.45% | 28.57% |
Payne 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 Payne is British & Irish, which comprises 55.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.2%) and Nigerian (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.3% |
| French & German | 21.2% |
| Nigerian | 3.7% |
| Other | 19.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Payne
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 Payne have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.80% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 85.70% |
What Payne 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 Payne is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Brown, Smith, Mitchell, Williams, Davis, Clark, Miller, Thompson, Dixon, Martin.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Payne surname are: H1, T2b, 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 Payne 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.
"Payne" Surname 42.8%
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.
"Payne" Surname 27.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Payne" Surname 25.7%
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.
"Payne" Surname 18.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Payne?
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 Payne are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition