Explore the Family Name Shanks
The meaning of Shanks
1. Scottish (Lanarkshire): habitational name from an unidentified place in southern Scotland with a name in the plural form, presumably derived from Old Scots schank ‘hill spur’. Some have suggested Shank in Borthwick (Midlothian) or Culter Cleuch Shank in Crawford (Lanarkshire), with the unexplained addition of final -s, but these seem unlikely. 2. English: variant of Shank with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shanks in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data on surname popularity, Shanks saw a slight decrease in rank from 2881 in 2000 to 3031 in 2010, indicating a drop in popularity by 5.21%. However, the count of people with the surname Shanks increased by 3.38% during the same timeline, moving from 11,436 to 11,822. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 also witnessed a decline of 5.42%, slipping from 4.24 to 4.01.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,881 | #3,031 | -5.21% |
| Count | 11,436 | 11,822 | 3.38% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.24 | 4.01 | -5.42% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shanks
Shifting attention to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Shanks, Decennial U.S. Census data shows some diversification over the decade. In 2000, 80.02% of those bearing the name identified as White, which slightly decreased to 78.10% in 2010. Those identifying as Black made up 15.42% in 2000, and this figure rose to 16.05% in 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Hispanic showed the most significant increase, jumping from 1.39% in 2000 to 2.31% in 2010. The share of Asian/Pacific Islanders and those identifying with two or more races also increased. The only ethnicity that observed a decrease was American Indian and Alaskan Native, dropping from 0.97% to 0.75%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.02% | 78.1% | -2.4% |
| Black | 15.42% | 16.05% | 4.09% |
| Hispanic | 1.39% | 2.31% | 66.19% |
| Two or More Races | 1.66% | 2.17% | 30.72% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.97% | 0.75% | -22.68% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.54% | 0.62% | 14.81% |
Shanks 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 Shanks is British & Irish, which comprises 54.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.2%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.3% |
| French & German | 26.2% |
| Scandinavian | 3.7% |
| Other | 15.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Shanks
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 Shanks have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
What Shanks 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 Shanks is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-S5741 and R-FGC11908, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Knight, Fraser, Rock, Weber, Allen, Harvey, Beck, Thompson, Miller, Schneider.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shanks 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 Shanks 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.
"Shanks" Surname 43.3%
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.
"Shanks" Surname 22.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Shanks" Surname 24.6%
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.
"Shanks" Surname 19.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Shanks?
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 Shanks are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition