Explore the Family Name Portnoy

The meaning of Portnoy

Jewish (from Ukraine and Belarus): occupational name for a tailorfrom Russian portnoj (an adjective derivative of port ‘uncut cloth’). Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Moshe, Yakov, Boruch, Hershel, Isaak, Mendel, Aron, Chaim, Hyman, Isak. Russian Boris, Aleksandr, Vladimir, Semyon, Dmitry, Yefim, Anatoly, Arkadiy, Evgeny, Galina, Gennady, Grigoriy.

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

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

The surname Portnoy is ranked 16,004 in popularity according to the Decennial U.S. Census data from 2010. This is a slight decrease in rank from 2000, when it was ranked 15,309, marking a change of -4.54%. However, the total count of people with the surname Portnoy saw an increase from 1,762 in 2000 to 1,814 in 2010, which is an increase of 2.95%. The proportion per 100k also decreased by -6.15% from 0.65 in 2000 to 0.61 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#15,309#16,004-4.54%
Count1,7621,8142.95%
Proportion per 100k0.650.61-6.15%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Portnoy

On the subject of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that the majority of individuals with the surname Portnoy identify as White, with percentages of 97.28 in 2000 and 95.87 in 2010. This shows a slight decrease of -1.45% over the decade. Meanwhile, the second largest ethnic identity group are those identifying as Hispanic, which saw a significant increase from 1.31 in 2000 to 2.48 in 2010, marking an 89.31% change. The percentage of those who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander also rose from 0.34 in 2000 to 0.55 in 2010, a change of 61.76%. Those identifying with two or more races saw a decrease of -10.81% over the decade. No individuals with the surname Portnoy identified as Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010.

20002010Change
White97.28%95.87%-1.45%
Hispanic1.31%2.48%89.31%
Two or More Races0.74%0.66%-10.81%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.34%0.55%61.76%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Portnoy 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 Portnoy is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 63.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (11.1%) and Eastern European (10.8%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, and Greek & Balkan.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish63.0%
British & Irish11.1%
Eastern European10.8%
Other15.0%
Portnoy

Possible origins of the surname Portnoy

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 Portnoy have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Poland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom23.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom23.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom23.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom23.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom23.00%

What Portnoy 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 Portnoy is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Portnoy surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

portnoyPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

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 Portnoy 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

Portnoy

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Portnoy" Surname 31.2%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Habits

Portnoy

Tea Consumption

A preference for drinking caffeinated tea in a particular week.

"Portnoy" Surname 50.0%

23andMe Users 49.2%

Wellness

Portnoy

Migraine

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

"Portnoy" Surname 20.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Portnoy?

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 Portnoy 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

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%