Explore the Family Name Said
The meaning of Said
1. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic sayyid ‘lord, master’. This is a title of respect used for descendants of the prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fāṭima. Compare Saed and Sayed. 2. Muslim and Jewish (from North Africa and Syria): from a personal name based on the Arabic adjective saʿīd ‘lucky, fortunate’, ultimately derived from the same root (s-ʿ-d ‘happy, fortunate’) as the names Massad, Masud, and Saad. Compare Saeed, Sayeed, and Seid. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 薛, see Xue. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Ali, Ahmed, Hasan, Mohamed, Mohammed, Aziz, Mohammad, Said, Abdul, Azhar, Hassan, Ibrahim.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Said in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Said" has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 8723rd most common surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 6180th spot, representing an impressive 29.15% increase in rank. The total count of individuals with this surname also escalated from 3468 in 2000 to 5535 in 2010, marking a substantial increase of 59.6%. This means that for every 100,000 people, approximately 1.88 now bear the surname "Said", up from 1.29 in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,723 | #6,180 | 29.15% |
| Count | 3,468 | 5,535 | 59.6% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.29 | 1.88 | 45.74% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Said
The ethnicity distribution for the surname "Said" also shifted noticeably between 2000 and 2010 according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. While the proportion identifying as White remained relatively stable with a slight decrease of 0.87%, those identifying as Black saw a significant rise from 19.29% to 33.50%, marking a 73.67% increase. The percentage of Said's identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 19.60%, while those identifying with two or more races saw a steep decline of 65.49%. Notably, there were no changes in the proportions identifying as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 51.9% | 51.45% | -0.87% |
| Black | 19.29% | 33.5% | 73.67% |
| Two or More Races | 18.17% | 6.27% | -65.49% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 5.51% | 4.43% | -19.6% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Said 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 Said is Levantine, which comprises 15.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Egyptian (10.5%) and British & Irish (8.5%). Additional ancestries include Coptic Egyptian, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, Somali, French & German, and Peninsular Arab.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Levantine | 15.2% |
| Egyptian | 10.5% |
| British & Irish | 8.5% |
| Other | 65.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Said
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 Said have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Lebanon, and Somalia.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Beirut Governorate, Lebanon | 15.00% |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon | 15.00% |
| Banaadir, Somalia | 15.00% |
| County Durham, United Kingdom | 14.30% |
| North Governorate, Lebanon | 14.30% |
What Said 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 Said is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-L23 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hussein, Ibrahim, Hassan, Ismail, Mansour, Osman, Salem, Issa, Ali, Shaheen.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Said surname are: N, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages
Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.
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 Said 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.
"Said" Surname 45.8%
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.
"Said" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Kinesthetic Learner
Preferring to learn and process information through hands-on activities, practical experiences, and active engagement.
"Said" Surname 42.9%
23andMe Users 61.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Said" Surname 9.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Said?
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 Said are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition