Explore the Family Name Root
The meaning of Root
1. English: perhaps a nickname for a cheerful person, from an unrecorded Middle English rote (Old English rōt) ‘glad, cheerful’. 2. English: from Middle English rote, route, rotte ‘rote’ (of uncertain origin but apparently ultimately akin to Welsh crwth), perhaps used for a player of the medieval stringed instrument, a kind of harp or fiddle. Compare Rutter. 3. English: perhaps a habitational name from Wroot (Lincolnshire), from Old English wrōt ‘snout, spur of land’. 4. Dutch (also Op ‘t Root): topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place (Dutch root, a derivative of ro(o)ten ‘to ret’, akin to modern English rot), a place where flax is soaked in water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers. 5. German: variant of Roth and, in North America, possibly also an altered form of this. 6. Americanized form (translation into English) of French Racine. History: Some of the American bearers of the surname Root are descendants of Étienne Racine from France (see Racine).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Root in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Root" has slightly declined between the years 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, "Root" was ranked 1641 in terms of commonality among surnames in the United States, and by 2010 it dropped to 1770, a decrease of approximately 7.86%. Although its ranking fell, the number of individuals with the "Root" surname actually increased from 20,001 in 2000 to 20,284 in 2010, an increase of about 1.41%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,641 | #1,770 | -7.86% |
| Count | 20,001 | 20,284 | 1.41% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.41 | 6.88 | -7.15% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Root
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates a slight shift in the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Root". While the majority of individuals identified as White (93.58% in 2010, down from 95.08% in 2000), there were notable increases in the Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic populations. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders with the "Root" surname rose by 63.24%, while the Hispanic population increased by 87.2%. Conversely, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Natives and Blacks decreased by 20.83% and 10.29% respectively. The group of people identifying with two or more races also saw a modest increase from 1.34% to 1.60%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.08% | 93.58% | -1.58% |
| Hispanic | 1.25% | 2.34% | 87.2% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 1.6% | 19.4% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.68% | 1.11% | 63.24% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.96% | 0.76% | -20.83% |
| Black | 0.68% | 0.61% | -10.29% |
Root 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 Root is British & Irish, which comprises 46.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (30.1%) and Eastern European (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.1% |
| French & German | 30.1% |
| Eastern European | 5.0% |
| Other | 18.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Root
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 Root have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 86.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 86.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 86.70% |
What Root 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 Root is H-P96, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup H-P96 is descended from haplogroup H-L901. Other common haplogroups include I-Z60 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Crook, Head, Bond, Hoy, Crouse, Reeves, Gould, Grainger, Oakes, Lemke.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Root surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins H-L901
Your paternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Eurasian migrants
When modern humans first began to migrate from Africa to Eurasia 50,000 to 70,000 years ago, they likely followed two routes. The first travelers followed the southern coast from the Arabian Peninsula all the way to Southeast Asia. Another group likely split off within the Arabian Peninsula or at the Persian Gulf and headed inland to the sea of grasslands in the Middle East and Central Asia. Members of both groups reached India within only a few thousand years, where they followed rivers inland and throughout the subcontinent. In fact, between 45,000 and 20,000 years ago, India likely supported most of the humans that were alive at the time.
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.
What do people with the surname Root 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.
"Root" Surname 36.6%
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.
"Root" Surname 29.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Root" Surname 22.2%
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.
"Root" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Root?
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 Root are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition