Explore the Family Name Salisbury
The meaning of Salisbury
English (Lancashire): habitational name primarily from Salesbury in Blackburn (Lancashire) but also occasionally from Salisbury (Wiltshire). The Lancashire placename derives from Old English salh ‘willow, sallow’ + burg ‘fortress’, while the Wiltshire placename arises from a shortened form of the Celtic placename Sorviodunum (from an unknown initial element + Celtic dūno- ‘fort’). In the Old English period the second element was dropped and Sorvio- (of unexplained etymology) became Searo- in Old English as the result of folk etymological association the Old English word searu ‘trick’; to this an explanatory burh ‘fortress, manor, town’ was added. The city is recorded in Domesday Book as Sarisberie; the change of -r- to -l- is the result of later dissimilation.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Salisbury in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Salisbury has been fairly steady in popularity throughout the years. In 2000, Salisbury ranked 2,640th most popular and rose slightly to the 2,768th position by 2010, reflecting a change of approximately -4.85%. The count of individuals with the Salisbury surname also increased marginally from 12,581 in 2000 to 13,038 in 2010, marking a growth rate of 3.63%. Despite these fluctuations, the proportion of people named Salisbury per 100k fell by about 5.15% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,640 | #2,768 | -4.85% |
| Count | 12,581 | 13,038 | 3.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.66 | 4.42 | -5.15% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Salisbury
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Salisbury has seen some slight changes between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of people with this surname identify as White, making up 92.85% in 2000 and 91.41% in 2010. However, there was an increase in the number of people identifying as two or more races from 1.32% to 1.85%, and those identifying as Hispanic from 1.75% to 2.40%. On the other hand, the percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased from 0.71% to 0.65%. Individuals identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw modest increases, with the former rising from 2.91% to 3.17% and the latter from 0.46% to 0.52%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.85% | 91.41% | -1.55% |
| Black | 2.91% | 3.17% | 8.93% |
| Hispanic | 1.75% | 2.4% | 37.14% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 1.85% | 40.15% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.71% | 0.65% | -8.45% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.46% | 0.52% | 13.04% |
Salisbury 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 Salisbury is British & Irish, which comprises 52.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.7%) and Scandinavian (4.5%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Chinese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.5% |
| French & German | 25.7% |
| Scandinavian | 4.5% |
| Other | 17.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Salisbury
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 Salisbury have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
What Salisbury 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 Salisbury is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-Z198, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hills, Clanton, Keyes, Bolt, Dupree, Sexton, Anders, Kehoe, Winn, Noble.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Salisbury surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Salisbury 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.
"Salisbury" Surname 38.8%
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.
"Salisbury" Surname 30.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Salisbury" Surname 21.0%
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.
"Salisbury" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Salisbury?
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 Salisbury are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition