Explore the Family Name Salter
The meaning of Salter
1. English: occupational name for an extractor or seller of salt (a precious commodity in medieval times), from Middle English salter(e) ‘producer or seller of salt’. There may have been some post-medieval confusion with Souter; see also Saltman. 2. English: occupational name from Middle English sautreour ‘minstrel, player of the psaltery (a stringed musical instrument)’ (Old French sautere ‘psaltery’, Latin psalterium, Greek psaltērion, from psallein ‘to sound’). Compare Rutter. 3. German: northern variant of Salzer. 4. Americanized form of French Salois.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Salter in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Salter had a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 2375 amongst all surnames, but dropped to 2462 in 2010, representing a change of -3.66%. However, there was an increase in the count of people with this surname from 13,991 in 2000 to 14,641 in 2010, indicating a growth of 4.65%. Proportion per 100k also decreased by -4.43%, from 5.19 in 2000 to 4.96 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,375 | #2,462 | -3.66% |
| Count | 13,991 | 14,641 | 4.65% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.19 | 4.96 | -4.43% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Salter
The ethnicity associated with the Salter surname became more diverse over the same period according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of Salters identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 25%. Those identifying as two or more races saw an even larger increase of 53.68% during this decade. Meanwhile, the proportion of Salters identified as White decreased slightly by -3.03%. Hispanic Salters saw an increase of 37.96%, while those identifying as Black experienced a modest increase of 3.10%. Lastly, there was a 10% increase in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 71.94% | 69.76% | -3.03% |
| Black | 24.19% | 24.94% | 3.1% |
| Two or More Races | 1.36% | 2.09% | 53.68% |
| Hispanic | 1.37% | 1.89% | 37.96% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.7% | 0.77% | 10% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.55% | 25% |
Salter 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 Salter is British & Irish, which comprises 53.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.0%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Nigerian, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.3% |
| French & German | 22.0% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.3% |
| Other | 19.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Salter
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 Salter have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.70% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 82.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
What Salter 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 Salter is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z159 and R-Z11, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Goddard, Shaw, Swan, Matthews, Morgan, Phillips, Ford, Henderson, Jones, Slater.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Salter 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 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 Salter 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.
"Salter" Surname 41.3%
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.
"Salter" Surname 22.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Salter" Surname 26.6%
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.
"Salter" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Salter?
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 Salter are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition