Explore the Family Name Rambo
The meaning of Rambo
1. Swedish: ornamental name from the root of Ramberget, the name of a hill on Hisingen island in Gothenburg, Sweden + bo ‘inhabitant’. 2. East German: variant of Rambow. 3. In some cases probably also French: altered form of Rambeau. History: The progenitor of the majority of the American Rambos was Peter Gunnarsson from Hisingen in Gothenburg, Sweden, who arrived in New Sweden in 1639 as one of the first Swedish permanent settlers. He adopted the surname Rambo soon after arrival.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rambo in the United States?
The surname Rambo, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has seen a minor decrease in popularity over the last ten years. In 2000, Rambo was ranked as the 4,583rd most popular surname in the US and by 2010, it had slid slightly to rank 4,916th, marking a 7.27% drop in its rank. Despite this, the actual number of people carrying the Rambo last name rose from 7,096 in 2000 to 7,154 in 2010, an increase of 0.82%. However, when factoring in the overall population growth during this period, the proportion of Rambos per 100,000 people decreased by 7.6%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,583 | #4,916 | -7.27% |
| Count | 7,096 | 7,154 | 0.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.63 | 2.43 | -7.6% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rambo
The ethnic identities associated with the surname Rambo also evolved between 2000 and 2010, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The highest percentage, approximately 80.68%, identified as white in 2010, up from 79.99% in 2000. The second highest group identifying with the Rambo surname was the black community, which saw a slight decrease from 12.73% in 2000 to 12.24% in 2010. Those identifying as Hispanic also dropped from 4.54% in 2000 to 3.63% in 2010. Conversely, the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and those of two or more races increased, with the former rising from 0.79% to 1.08% and the latter from 1.48% to 1.92%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native population represented a small fraction of the Rambo surname holders and dipped from 0.48% in 2000 to 0.45% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.99% | 80.68% | 0.86% |
| Black | 12.73% | 12.24% | -3.85% |
| Hispanic | 4.54% | 3.63% | -20.04% |
| Two or More Races | 1.48% | 1.92% | 29.73% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.79% | 1.08% | 36.71% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.48% | 0.45% | -6.25% |
Rambo 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 Rambo is British & Irish, which comprises 51.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (28.2%) and Eastern European (4.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.1% |
| French & German | 28.2% |
| Eastern European | 4.7% |
| Other | 16.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Rambo
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 Rambo have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.60% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 84.00% |
What Rambo 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 Rambo is R-CTS2243, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS2243 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Skaggs, Spalding, Clift, Mathison, Matheson, Kemp, Coats, Mccloud, Woodard, Ross.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rambo surname are: H1, N, 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 Rambo 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.
"Rambo" Surname 35.1%
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.
"Rambo" Surname 34.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Rambo" Surname 36.5%
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.
"Rambo" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rambo?
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 Rambo are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition