Explore the Family Name Shaikh
The meaning of Shaikh
Muslim: variant of Sheikh. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Abdul, Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammad, Haroon, Iqbal, Salim, Hamid, Khalid, Moin, Ali, Arif.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shaikh in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Shaikh has significantly grown from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Shaikh was ranked as the 9,163rd most popular surname in the U.S., but by 2010, it climbed to the 5,722nd position, representing a change of 37.55%. The count of individuals with the surname Shaikh also increased substantially during this period, from 3,273 in 2000 to 6,063 in 2010, an impressive growth rate of 85.24%. As a result, the proportion of people named Shaikh per 100,000 U.S. residents rose by 70.25%, from 1.21 to 2.06.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,163 | #5,722 | 37.55% |
| Count | 3,273 | 6,063 | 85.24% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.21 | 2.06 | 70.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shaikh
Turning to ethnicity, based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of individuals with the surname Shaikh identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010, with an increase from 82.89% to 89.61%. Meanwhile, those who identified as two or more races declined by 68.40%, from 9.59% to 3.03%. The percentage of white individuals with the Shaikh surname showed a minor decrease, moving from 5.26% in 2000 to 5.15% in 2010. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic decreased slightly from 1.37% to 1.20%. The Black community with the Shaikh surname also saw a decrease from 0.70% to 0.49%. Interestingly, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals bearing the Shaikh surname experienced a significant increase, jumping from 0.18% to 0.51%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 82.89% | 89.61% | 8.11% |
| White | 5.26% | 5.15% | -2.09% |
| Two or More Races | 9.59% | 3.03% | -68.4% |
| Hispanic | 1.37% | 1.2% | -12.41% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.18% | 0.51% | 183.33% |
| Black | 0.7% | 0.49% | -30% |
Shaikh 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 Shaikh is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 63.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (13.4%) and Bengali & Northeast Indian (6.4%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Central Asian, Eastern European, French & German, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Northern Indian & Pakistani | 63.4% |
| Southern Indian & Sri Lankan | 13.4% |
| Bengali & Northeast Indian | 6.4% |
| Other | 16.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Shaikh
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 Shaikh have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Pakistan, and India.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Punjab, Pakistan | 43.40% |
| Gujarat, India | 31.90% |
| Punjab, India | 30.10% |
| Sindh, Pakistan | 26.50% |
| Karnataka, India | 23.90% |
What Shaikh 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 Shaikh is J-L26, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L26 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-Y7 and R-Z93, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Verma, Das, Rashid, Sheikh, Zaman, Ahmad, Rahman, Khan, Kumar, Raza.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shaikh surname are: M, R, M4_64. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304Your maternal lineage may be linked to the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent
While Haplogroup M is widespread throughout South and East Asia, it is more diverse on the Indian sub-continent than anywhere else in the world. The high degree of diversity of M in India is likely tied to its ancient arrival here nearly 50,000 years ago. In addition to M2, which is found throughout the subcontinent, there are dozens of haplogroups branching off of M that exist in India. These branches are often connected to specific regions, tribes, or ethnic groups. For example, haplogroup M18 is found among the Oraon peoples of eastern India and Bangladesh, while haplogroup M41 is common among the Pardhan speakers of eastern India, and haplogroup M31a can be found on the Andaman Islands, just off the southeast coast of India.
What do people with the surname Shaikh 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.
"Shaikh" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Shaikh" Surname 45.5%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Shaikh?
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 Shaikh are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition