Explore the Family Name Persons
The meaning of Persons
1. Perhaps an Americanized form of Dutch Persoons, Persoens, a patronymic from Middle Dutch persoon ‘parson’, probably denoting the servant of a parish priest, or possibly an altered form of English Parsons. 2. English (Wiltshire and Yorkshire): variant of Parsons. This form of the surname is very rare in Britain and Ireland.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Persons in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Persons" saw a slight change in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In terms of rank, it dropped from 8509 to 9064, indicating a decrease of 6.52 percent. However, the count of individuals bearing the surname increased by 1.15 percent, from 3565 in 2000 to 3606 in 2010. Additionally, the proportion of this surname per 100,000 people decreased by 7.58 percent during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,509 | #9,064 | -6.52% |
| Count | 3,565 | 3,606 | 1.15% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.32 | 1.22 | -7.58% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Persons
Regarding ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data from 2000 to 2010 showed notable changes for the surname "Persons". The highest percentage increase was seen in the Hispanic category which rose from 1.35 percent to 2.69 percent, marking a 99.26 percent increase. Similarly, the percentage of those identifying as having two or more races increased by 63.01 percent. The Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories also saw increases of 38.57 percent and 40.91 percent, respectively. Though still remaining dominant, the percentage of individuals with the surname Persons identifying as White decreased by 3.31 percent while the Black category increased slightly by 3.52 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.02% | 85.11% | -3.31% |
| Black | 8.25% | 8.54% | 3.52% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 2.69% | 99.26% |
| Two or More Races | 1.46% | 2.38% | 63.01% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 0.97% | 38.57% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.22% | 0.31% | 40.91% |
Persons 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 Persons is British & Irish, which comprises 49.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.2%) and Scandinavian (7.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.5% |
| French & German | 24.2% |
| Scandinavian | 7.3% |
| Other | 18.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Persons
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 Persons have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
What Persons 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 Persons is R-L21, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L21 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Humphries, Eddy, Griffith, O'Neil, Keyes, O'Neill, Quinlan, Griffiths, Hewitt, Davies.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Persons surname are: H1, H, V. 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 Persons 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.
"Persons" Surname 41.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Persons" Surname 35.3%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Persons" Surname 30.0%
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.
"Persons" Surname 15.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Persons?
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 Persons are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition