Explore the Family Name Picard
The meaning of Picard
1. French, Walloon, Catalan, and German; Breton (also Le Picard): from Old French and Catalan picard ‘Picard’, a habitational name for someone from Picardy in northern France. This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium. Compare Pecore. 2. French: in some cases, probably also from pic ‘pick, pike’ + the pejorative suffix -ard, applied as a nickname for e.g. a user of a pointed tool. 3. English (of Norman origin): variant of Pickard, mostly a cognate of 1 above. 4. Jewish (western Ashkenazic): Frenchified form of German Bickhart. History: Hugues Picard dit Lafortune from Saint-Colomban in Loire-Atlantique, Brittany (France), married Anne-Antoinette (de) Liercourt in Montreal, QC, in 1660. — In North America, this surname was originally also a secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name. Philippe Destroismaisons dit Picard from Montreuil in Pas-de-Calais, France, married Martine Crosnier in Château-Richer, QC, in 1669. Pierre Philippon dit Picard from Flesselles in Somme in Picardy, France, married Marie-Angélique Amiot in Quebec City, QC, in 1739. His descendants also bear the surname Philippon. Alexandre Noiret dit Picard from Thenailles in Aisne in Picardy, France, married Jeanne Quenneville in Montreal, QC, in 1756. — This surname was also brought to North America by several French settlers in the 19th and 20th century. Some characteristic forenames: French Armand, Lucien, Andre, Marcel, Emile, Michel, Normand, Adrien, Antoine, Benoit, Elzear, Fernand.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Picard in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Picard saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it ranked 4271 in popularity but fell to 4491 by 2010, showing a decrease of 5.15%. However, the number of individuals carrying the Picard surname actually increased from 7679 in 2000 to 7898 in 2010, an increase of 2.85%. The proportion per 100,000 people dropped from 2.85 to 2.68, marking a decline of 5.96%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,271 | #4,491 | -5.15% |
| Count | 7,679 | 7,898 | 2.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.85 | 2.68 | -5.96% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Picard
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates notable changes among people with the Picard surname between 2000 and 2010. While the majority remained white (91.76% in 2000 and 87.52% in 2010), there was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, from 2.92% in 2000 to 5.34% in 2010. The proportions of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black also increased during this period, from 0.64% to 0.84% and 1.55% to 2.24% respectively. People of two or more ethnic identities rose from 1.29% to 1.90%, and those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native increased from 1.85% to 2.17%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.76% | 87.52% | -4.62% |
| Hispanic | 2.92% | 5.34% | 82.88% |
| Black | 1.55% | 2.24% | 44.52% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.85% | 2.17% | 17.3% |
| Two or More Races | 1.29% | 1.9% | 47.29% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.64% | 0.84% | 31.25% |
Picard 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 Picard is British & Irish, which comprises 37.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (32.0%) and Italian (7.6%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Japanese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 37.3% |
| French & German | 32.0% |
| Italian | 7.6% |
| Other | 23.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Picard
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 Picard have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 74.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 74.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 74.00% |
What Picard 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 Picard is R-DF88, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-DF88 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tillman, Spangler, Killian, Shaver, Lux, Andrew, Rousseau, Shafer, Beckett, Foster.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Picard surname are: M, H1, 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 Picard 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.
"Picard" Surname 48.3%
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.
"Picard" Surname 34.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Picard" Surname 15.9%
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.
"Picard" Surname 17.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Picard?
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 Picard are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition