Explore the Family Name Shetty

The meaning of Shetty

Indian (Karnataka): name found among the people of the Bunt or Nadava community in coastal Karnataka. It derives from Sanskrit šreṣṭhī, a term denoting the head of a mercantile or other guild. Unlike bearers of the cognate names Seth and Setty, however, the Bunts are not a mercantile community; they are a land-owning and farming class in South Kanara, a coastal district of Karnataka. This surname is also found among the Jains of this region. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Navin, Satish, Ajay, Anand, Anil, Ashok, Ashwin, Bhaskar, Deepak, Dinesh, Rajiv, Ram.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Shetty in the United States?

The surname Shetty has seen significant growth in popularity, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it ranked as the 22,098th most popular surname but surged to the 13,682nd spot by 2010 - an increase of 38.08%. The count of individuals with the Shetty surname more than doubled during the same period, going from 1,092 in 2000 to 2,213 in 2010. This represents a substantial growth rate of 102.66%. The proportion per 100,000 people also rose from 0.4 to 0.75, marking an 87.5% increase.

20002010Change
Rank#22,098#13,68238.08%
Count1,0922,213102.66%
Proportion per 100k0.40.7587.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shetty

In terms of ethnicity, the Shetty surname is predominantly associated with the Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic group, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 92.49% of those with the surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, and this percentage increased slightly to 95.16% in 2010. Those identifying with two or more races made up 2.47% in 2000, dropping to 1.81% in 2010. The proportion of individuals who identify as White decreased from 4.12% to 1.85% between 2000 and 2010. Meanwhile, there were recorded increases in the Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories, though these groups each comprised less than 1% of those carrying the Shetty surname in 2010.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander92.49%95.16%2.89%
White4.12%1.85%-55.1%
Two or More Races2.47%1.81%-26.72%
Hispanic0%0.5%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.41%0%
Black0%0.27%0%

Shetty 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 Shetty is Southern Indian & Sri Lankan, which comprises 75.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Southern Indian Subgroup (14.8%) and French & German (2.0%). Additional ancestries include Malayali Subgroup, Northern Indian & Pakistani, British & Irish, Bengali & Northeast Indian, and Gujarati Patidar.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Southern Indian & Sri Lankan75.1%
Southern Indian Subgroup14.8%
French & German2.0%
Other8.1%
Shetty

Possible origins of the surname Shetty

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 Shetty have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in India, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Karnataka, India92.90%
Kerala, India84.30%
Maharashtra, India52.90%
Tamil Nadu, India47.10%
Andhra Pradesh, India31.40%

What Shetty 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 Shetty is L-M27, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup L-M27 is descended from haplogroup L-M20. Other common haplogroups include R-Z93 and H-M69, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and Central & South Asian ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Menon, Rao, Reddy, Krishnan, Patil, Hussain, Khan, Kumar, Iqbal, Fernando.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Shetty surname are: M, R, M5a. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.

shettyPaternal Haplogroup Origins L-M20
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many Lebanese people

Haplogroup L-M27 is represented in major religious populations within Lebanon, including both Lebanese Maronite and Muslim groups. It has been discovered that Lebanese Maronite populations are genetically distinct from Lebanese Muslim populations. This may mean that Lebanese Muslim groups are descendants of populations from the Arabian Peninsula who were involved in the Islamic expansion in the 7th century CE. On the other hand, Lebanese Maronite groups are likely descendants of western European populations involved in the Crusades during the 11th-13th centuries CE.

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Shetty 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

Shetty

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Shetty" Surname 31.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Shetty

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Shetty" Surname 41.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Shetty

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Shetty" Surname 32.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Shetty

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Shetty" Surname 8.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Shetty?

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 Shetty are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Southern Indian & Sri Lankan 50.5%

23andMe Users 57.2%