Explore the Family Name Priest
The meaning of Priest
English (mainly West Midlands): nickname from Middle English pr(i)est ‘minister of the Church’ (Old English prēost, from Latin presbyter, Greek presbyteros ‘elder, counselor’, comparative of presbys ‘old man’). It may have denoted someone with a pious manner or possibly for someone who had played the part of a priest in a pageant. It may occasionally have been used to denote someone suspected of being the son of a priest but evidence for this is lacking. History: A John Priest is recorded as being in Woburn, MA, as early as 1675. The Mayflower Pilgrim Digory Priest of the Netherlands died the first winter at Plymouth in 1620, leaving behind a widow who remarried and two daughters, who did not pass on the surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Priest in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Priest has experienced a fluctuation in its popularity over the years. In 2000, it was the 2309th most common surname, with a frequency of approximately 5.32 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had slightly fallen to 2430th place, but the count increased by 3.94%, demonstrating a growth in the number of people bearing this surname. The proportion per 100,000 people also slightly decreased from 5.32 to 5.06.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,309 | #2,430 | -5.24% |
| Count | 14,350 | 14,915 | 3.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.32 | 5.06 | -4.89% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Priest
In terms of ethnic identity, the Priest surname shows a diverse range of backgrounds. The data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that the majority of individuals with this surname identify as White, making up 88.11% in 2010, which is a slight decrease from 89.99% in 2000. Other significant ethnicities include Black (6.11%), Hispanic (2.59%), and those identifying with two or more races (2.02%). It's interesting to note the significant growth within the Hispanic ethnicity, witnessing a 70.39% increase from 2000 to 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.99% | 88.11% | -2.09% |
| Black | 5.78% | 6.11% | 5.71% |
| Hispanic | 1.52% | 2.59% | 70.39% |
| Two or More Races | 1.44% | 2.02% | 40.28% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.79% | 0.6% | -24.05% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.56% | 14.29% |
Priest 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 Priest is British & Irish, which comprises 57.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.5%) and Eastern European (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.6% |
| French & German | 23.5% |
| Eastern European | 4.2% |
| Other | 14.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Priest
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 Priest have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 87.70% |
What Priest 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 Priest is R-M405, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M405 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L1065 and R-S660, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Anderson, Greene, Nelson, Petersen, Jensen, Summers, Webb, Hansen, Christiansen, Murray.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Priest surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI
The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Priest 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.
"Priest" Surname 47.5%
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.
"Priest" Surname 28.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Priest" Surname 27.8%
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.
"Priest" Surname 17.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Priest?
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 Priest are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition