Explore the Family Name Randolph

The meaning of Randolph

English and German: from Randolf, an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements rand ‘rim (of a shield), shield’ + wolf ‘wolf’. This was introduced into England by the Normans in Old French forms of two different ancient Germanic personal names which became confused with each other: Randulf (from rand ‘(shield-)edge’ + wulf ‘wolf’) and Rannulf (from hraf(a)n ‘raven’ + wulf ‘wolf’). History: An American family bearing this surname are descended from William Randolph (c.1651–1711), a planter and merchant, a member of a family that originally came from Sussex, England. William Randolph emigrated from Warwickshire to VA c.1673. He was a forebear of Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee. Randolph had seven sons, each of whom inherited an estate, the name of which was sometimes added to their own, such as Sir John Randolph of Tazewell. His great-grandsons included Edmund Randolph (1753–1813), first attorney general of the US and one of the framers of the US Constitution, and the diplomat and statesman John Randolph of Roanoke (1773–1833), who served as US minister to Russia.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Randolph has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 792 among all surnames, but slipped to 840 by 2010, a decline of 6.06%. However, the count of individuals with this surname has increased by 3.49%, rising from 39,742 in 2000 to 41,129 in 2010. Despite the increase in the actual number of people with this surname, its proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 5.36% due to population growth.

20002010Change
Rank#792#840-6.06%
Count39,74241,1293.49%
Proportion per 100k14.7313.94-5.36%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Randolph

Discussing ethnicity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the largest ethnic group associated with the surname Randolph is White, making up 55.87% of the total in 2010, down by 4% from 58.20% in 2000. The second largest ethnic group is Black, which slightly increased from 37.29% in 2000 to 37.71% in 2010. The third largest increase was seen in those identifying as Two or more races, which rose by 39.81% over the decade. The fastest growing ethnic identity associated with the surname Randolph is Hispanic, seeing a 71.74% increase from 2000 to 2010. Other ethnicities like Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw slight increases of 17.5% and 1.45% respectively over the same period.

20002010Change
White58.2%55.87%-4%
Black37.29%37.71%1.13%
Two or More Races2.06%2.88%39.81%
Hispanic1.38%2.37%71.74%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.69%0.7%1.45%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.4%0.47%17.5%

Randolph 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 Randolph is British & Irish, which comprises 48.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.9%) and Nigerian (6.4%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish48.6%
French & German20.9%
Nigerian6.4%
Other24.1%
Randolph

Possible origins of the surname Randolph

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 Randolph have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom76.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom75.90%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom75.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom75.40%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom75.00%

What Randolph 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 Randolph is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and E-P252, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Bradshaw, Hoskins, Ackerman, Stowe, Eaton, Landers, Brink, Hildebrand, Hawkins, Funk.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Randolph surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

randolphPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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 Randolph 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

Randolph

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Randolph" Surname 35.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Randolph

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Randolph" Surname 33.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Randolph

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Randolph" Surname 25.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Randolph

Migraine

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

"Randolph" Surname 20.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Randolph?

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 Randolph 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

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%