Explore the Family Name Posner
The meaning of Posner
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from the city of Poznań (German Posen) in west-central Poland, the -er suffix indicating an inhabitant. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Avrom, Chaim, Emanuel, Isak, Menachem, Yosef, Ari, Benzion, Chaya.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Posner in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Posner ranked 9550 in popularity in the year 2000 and dropped slightly to 10204 in 2010, a decline of 6.85%. The count of individuals with this surname increased marginally from 3123 in 2000 to 3157 in 2010, marking a growth rate of 1.09%. The proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 7.76% from 1.16 in 2000 to 1.07 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,550 | #10,204 | -6.85% |
| Count | 3,123 | 3,157 | 1.09% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.16 | 1.07 | -7.76% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Posner
In terms of ethnic identity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority of individuals with the surname Posner identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a slight decrease from 95.81% to 94.81%. The second largest increase was seen amongst those identifying as Hispanic, which rose from 1.73% in 2000 to 2.60% in 2010. A significant increase was also noted in the Asian/Pacific Islander group, with numbers rising from 0.83% in 2000 to 1.27% in 2010. Those identifying with two or more races saw a decrease from 1.28% to 1.11%. The Black community and American Indian and Alaskan Native community, had percentages close to 0 in 2000, but by 2010, the Black community had seen a minor increase to 0.22%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.81% | 94.81% | -1.04% |
| Hispanic | 1.73% | 2.6% | 50.29% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.83% | 1.27% | 53.01% |
| Two or More Races | 1.28% | 1.11% | -13.28% |
| Black | 0% | 0.22% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Posner 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 Posner is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 60.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (13.3%) and French & German (7.1%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, and Indigenous American.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 60.8% |
| British & Irish | 13.3% |
| French & German | 7.1% |
| Other | 18.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Posner
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 Posner have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 38.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 38.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 38.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 37.10% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 36.20% |
What Posner 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 Posner is E-L791, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-L791 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-CTS5368 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lipman, Feinberg, Schulman, Resnick, Feinstein, Lerner, Wiener, Goldenberg, Wasserman, Lazarus.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Posner surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Napolean Bonaparte
The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte descended from the common ancestor of haplogroup E-M34. The male line of the Bonaparte family was from Tuscany, where Napoleon's earliest known male ancestors lived for at least six generations. Eleven generations before Napoleon, his ancestor, Giovanni, was the first to leave Tuscany for Corsica. The Bonaparte lineage lived in Corsica for ten generations before Napoleon's father, Charles-Marie Bonaparte. Charles-Marie (born in 1746) married Napoleon's mother, Letizia Ramolino, at the age of 18 in 1764.
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.
What do people with the surname Posner 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.
"Posner" Surname 52.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Posner" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Posner" Surname 11.1%
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.
"Posner" Surname 8.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Posner?
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 Posner are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition