Explore the Family Name Ricketts

The meaning of Ricketts

English: variant of Rickett, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ricketts has seen a slight shift in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 2777th among all surnames, while in 2010 it moved down slightly to rank 2801st. Despite this slight decrease in ranking, the total count of people with the Ricketts surname actually rose from 11,940 in 2000 to 12,862 in 2010, indicating an increase of approximately 7.72 percent. However, its proportion per 100,000 people saw a slight decrease of 1.58 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#2,777#2,801-0.86%
Count11,94012,8627.72%
Proportion per 100k4.434.36-1.58%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ricketts

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Ricketts also experienced changes over the decade, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. While the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White in both 2000 (76.35 percent) and 2010 (71.79 percent), there was a noticeable decrease of about 5.97 percent over the period. The percentage of people with the surname Ricketts who identified as Black increased by 16.86 percent, rising from 18.92 percent in 2000 to 22.11 percent in 2010. Similarly, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic had notable increases of 60.71 percent and 57.23 percent respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as two or more races rose slightly by 3.65 percent, and American Indian and Alaskan Native increased by 25.00 percent.

20002010Change
White76.35%71.79%-5.97%
Black18.92%22.11%16.86%
Hispanic1.73%2.72%57.23%
Two or More Races2.19%2.27%3.65%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.52%0.65%25%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.28%0.45%60.71%

Ricketts 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 Ricketts is British & Irish, which comprises 53.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.6%) and Nigerian (4.5%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish53.8%
French & German23.6%
Nigerian4.5%
Other18.0%
Ricketts

Possible origins of the surname Ricketts

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom86.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.40%
Lancashire, United Kingdom86.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom86.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom85.70%

What Ricketts 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 Ricketts is R-L1, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L1 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smallwood, Hobbs, Buxton, Holt, Worthy, Litton, Cotten, Angel, Bell, Atkins.

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

rickettsPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Ricketts 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

Ricketts

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Ricketts" Surname 52.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Ricketts

Misophonia

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

"Ricketts" Surname 24.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Ricketts

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Ricketts" Surname 16.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Ricketts

Migraine

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

"Ricketts" Surname 18.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Ricketts?

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 Ricketts 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%