Explore the Family Name Shannon
The meaning of Shannon
Irish: 1. shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Seanáin ‘descendant of Seanán’, a personal name based on a pet form of seán ‘old’. This Irish surname became established in Scotland in the 14th century. 2. in County Clare, a shortened Anglicized form of Mac Giolla tSeanáin ‘son of the servant of St. Seanán’. In the Irish midlands Leonard and Nugent have been adopted as equivalents of this name. 3. shortened form of Shanahan.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shannon in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Shannon has seen a slight shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Shannon ranked as the 693rd most common name with a count of 44,902, equating to a proportion of 16.65 per 100,000 people. However, by 2010 the rank had slid to 752nd despite a small increase in count to 46,147 individuals bearing the name. This represents a decrease in the proportion of people with this surname to 15.64 per 100,000, reflecting a change of -6.07%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #693 | #752 | -8.51% |
| Count | 44,902 | 46,147 | 2.77% |
| Proportion per 100k | 16.65 | 15.64 | -6.07% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shannon
Based on the ethnic identity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the Shannon surname has a wide distribution across various ethnicities. The majority, or 75.16% as of 2010, identify as White, although this figure has slightly decreased by 2.88% since 2000. A significant portion, 19.51%, identify as Black, marking a modest increase of 4.16% over the decade. Furthermore, there is a noticeable growth in the Hispanic demographic, up by 57.33% to 2.36%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native, and those of two or more races also saw increases, albeit from smaller bases.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.39% | 75.16% | -2.88% |
| Black | 18.73% | 19.51% | 4.16% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 2.36% | 57.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.55% | 2.03% | 30.97% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.54% | 20% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.38% | 0.4% | 5.26% |
Shannon 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 Shannon is British & Irish, which comprises 55.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.4%) and Eastern European (4.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Nigerian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.3% |
| French & German | 20.4% |
| Eastern European | 4.9% |
| Other | 19.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Shannon
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 Shannon have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
What Shannon 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 Shannon is R-FGC22538, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC22538 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-L1498 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Green, Dixon, Greene, Morrison, Martin, Thompson, Wilson, Mitchell, Brown, Roberts.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shannon 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 Shannon 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.
"Shannon" Surname 45.6%
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.
"Shannon" Surname 28.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Shannon" Surname 23.8%
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.
"Shannon" Surname 15.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Shannon?
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 Shannon are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition