Explore the Family Name Roche
The meaning of Roche
1. Irish (Munster) and English (of Norman origin): variant of Roach. Compare Roch. 2. French: topographic name for someone who lived by a rocky outcrop or crag, from Old French roche ‘rock’. In North America, this surname is also a shortened form of the variant Laroche 2. Compare Deroche. 3. German: from an ancient Germanic personal name, Rocco, based on hrok ‘yell’ or hrōd ‘fame, renown’. 4. Spanish (mainly Aragon and Catalonia): of French origin (see 2 above). Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Aidan, Declan, Eamonn, Fergus, Fionnuala, Kevin Patrick, Liam.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Roche in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Roche" has seen slight changes between 2000 and 2010. In terms of rank, it went from being the 1845th most popular in 2000 to the 1895th in 2010, a marginal decline of 2.71%. However, the overall count of individuals with the Roche surname increased by 5.78%, going from 17,905 in 2000 to 18,940 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also experienced a minor decline of 3.31%, moving from 6.64 in 2000 to 6.42 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,845 | #1,895 | -2.71% |
| Count | 17,905 | 18,940 | 5.78% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.64 | 6.42 | -3.31% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Roche
The Decennial U.S. Census also provides information about the ethnic identity associated with the Roche surname. In 2000, 83.22% of those with this surname identified as White, decreasing to 79.74% in 2010. Those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 24.64%, from 10.96% in 2000 to 13.66% in 2010. Individuals identifying as Black also increased from 3.69% to 4.35%. The percentage of those who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 0.60% to 0.83%, while those identifying with two or more races slightly decreased from 1.27% to 1.16%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained stable at 0.26%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83.22% | 79.74% | -4.18% |
| Hispanic | 10.96% | 13.66% | 24.64% |
| Black | 3.69% | 4.35% | 17.89% |
| Two or More Races | 1.27% | 1.16% | -8.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 0.83% | 38.33% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.26% | 0.26% | 0% |
Roche 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 Roche is British & Irish, which comprises 55.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (13.5%) and Spanish & Portuguese (7.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Indigenous American, Scandinavian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.6% |
| French & German | 13.5% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 7.5% |
| Other | 23.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Roche
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 Roche have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 78.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 78.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 78.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 78.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 77.70% |
What Roche 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 Roche is E-M78, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-M78 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Roach, Bennett, Smith, Davis, Roberts, Clark, Martin, Brown, Morris, Harrison.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Roche surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96Your 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 Roche 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.
"Roche" Surname 39.1%
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.
"Roche" Surname 23.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Roche" Surname 23.9%
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.
"Roche" Surname 18.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Roche?
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 Roche are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition