Explore the Family Name Prendergast
The meaning of Prendergast
Irish (of Welsh origin): habitational name from Prendergast (Pembrokeshire). The placename might contain Welsh prender(w) ‘oak tree’ + gast ‘bitch’, hence ‘oak tree frequented by dogs’, but this is far from certain. History: Maurice Prendergast was one of the leaders of a small force of Norman knights and archers who landed at Bannow in Wexford in 1169, the advance guard of the invasion in 1170 by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke (‘Strongbow’). Maurice was granted lands in Wexford, and was the progenitor of the Irish families that migrated to North America. According to family tradition the surname derives from a warrior called Prenliregast, who supposedly fought at Hastings (the name Preudirlegast is listed in a 16th-century version of the Battle Abbey Roll), and who took his name from a ‘lost’ village in Flanders called Brontegeest. Flemings did indeed settle in Pembrokeshire in the 12th century, but the Battle Abbey Roll is an unreliable document, created long after the Conquest, and no evidence has been found for this or any other surname in medieval Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, or Belgium being derived from a place called Brontegeest. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Assumpta, Brendan, Colm, Declan.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Prendergast in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Prendergast saw a slight decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it held the rank of 5,711 but then dropped to 5,936 in 2010, representing a change of -3.94%. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased during this decade from 5,566 to 5,800, a growth of 4.2%. Additionally, the proportion of people with the Prendergast surname per 100,000 also decreased slightly from 2.06 to 1.97.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,711 | #5,936 | -3.94% |
| Count | 5,566 | 5,800 | 4.2% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.06 | 1.97 | -4.37% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Prendergast
The ethnic identity associated with the Prendergast surname diversified significantly between 2000 and 2010, as indicated by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic group identified was White, although its percentage fell from 90.33% to 87.62%. On the other hand, there were noticeable increases within the Black (from 5.68% to 7.64%), Hispanic (from 1.71% to 2.41%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.38% to 0.59%) communities. Those identifying as part of two or more races saw a minor increase from 1.46% to 1.50%, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased substantially from 0.45% to 0.24%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.33% | 87.62% | -3% |
| Black | 5.68% | 7.64% | 34.51% |
| Hispanic | 1.71% | 2.41% | 40.94% |
| Two or More Races | 1.46% | 1.5% | 2.74% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.38% | 0.59% | 55.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.45% | 0.24% | -46.67% |
Prendergast 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 Prendergast is British & Irish, which comprises 65.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (13.3%) and Italian (5.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 65.5% |
| French & German | 13.3% |
| Italian | 5.1% |
| Other | 16.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Prendergast
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 Prendergast have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
What Prendergast 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 Prendergast is R-L664, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L664 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-Y4010 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bickford, Couch, Willard, Dent, Stetson, Ives, Judd, Cheatham, Hand, Keeney.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Prendergast surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Prendergast 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.
"Prendergast" Surname 42.0%
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.
"Prendergast" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Prendergast" Surname 24.1%
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.
"Prendergast" Surname 11.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Prendergast?
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 Prendergast are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition