Explore the Family Name Scales
The meaning of Scales
English: 1. plural form of Scale, naming a herdsman living and working on a summer pasture, or a habitational name for someone from a place called Scales, mostly minor places in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Scholes is a dialect variant of the same name. 2. (of Norman origin): habitational name either from Écalles-Alix (Seine-Maritime), Écalles (in Estouteville-Écalles, Seine-Maritime), or from Escalles (Pas-de-Calais). The earliest spellings of these names suggest a derivation from Latin scala, scalae (plural) ‘ladder, staircase, stile’, perhaps applied to a steep slope or path, although Old Norse skáli (‘herdsman’s hut, shieling’, see Scale) has also been suggested for Écalles. Challis may be a variant of the same name. The surname has also been established in southern Ireland (Limerick) since the 14th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Scales in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Scales has seen some changes in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 2,649th in popularity and then slipped slightly to 2,732nd by 2010, a decrease of 3.13%. However, during that same period, the count of people with this surname actually increased from 12,542 to 13,190, an increase of 5.17%. The proportion of people named Scales per 100,000 population dipped by 3.87%, from 4.65 to 4.47.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,649 | #2,732 | -3.13% |
| Count | 12,542 | 13,190 | 5.17% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.65 | 4.47 | -3.87% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Scales
The ethnicity of individuals carrying the Scales surname also evolved between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. There was a notable increase among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (up 41.38%), those of two or more races (up 66.51%), and those identifying as Hispanic (up 86.09%). A majority of the individuals with the surname identified as Black, which saw a modest increase from 54.89% to 55.45%. Meanwhile, the percentage of White individuals with the surname decreased by 7.57%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native representation saw a slight increase of 6.45%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 54.89% | 55.45% | 1.02% |
| White | 41.21% | 38.09% | -7.57% |
| Two or More Races | 2.15% | 3.58% | 66.51% |
| Hispanic | 1.15% | 2.14% | 86.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.29% | 0.41% | 41.38% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.31% | 0.33% | 6.45% |
Scales 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 Scales is British & Irish, which comprises 52.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.5%) and Nigerian (8.8%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Italian, Eastern European, Angolan & Congolese, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.3% |
| French & German | 16.5% |
| Nigerian | 8.8% |
| Other | 22.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Scales
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 Scales have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 80.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 79.80% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 79.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 79.30% |
What Scales 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 Scales is R-Z287, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z287 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS8277 and E-V13, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Weston, Johnson, Hill, Wright, Carter, Parker, Paulson, White, Mason, Brown.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Scales surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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 Scales 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.
"Scales" Surname 33.9%
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.
"Scales" Surname 31.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Scales" Surname 25.3%
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.
"Scales" Surname 15.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Scales?
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 Scales are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition