Explore the Family Name Sinha

The meaning of Sinha

Indian: variant of Singh. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Arun, Ashok, Sanjay, Sunil, Alok, Amit, Gautam, Ranjan, Ravi, Vikas, Arvind, Krishna.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Sinha has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. Back in 2000, Sinha was ranked as the 12,122nd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had climbed to 8,155th. That's a notable rise of 32.73%. Furthermore, the count of people bearing the Sinha surname escalated from 2,360 in 2000 to 4,066 in 2010, showing an impressive growth of 72.29%. The proportion per 100k also jumped up from 0.87 to 1.38, indicating a 58.62% increase.

20002010Change
Rank#12,122#8,15532.73%
Count2,3604,06672.29%
Proportion per 100k0.871.3858.62%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sinha

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Sinha, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the vast majority of individuals are of Asian/Pacific Islander descent. In 2000, this group accounted for 88.26% of all Sinhas, and this percentage rose slightly to 91.22% in 2010. People of white ethnicity represented 5.72% of Sinhas in 2000, but their share decreased to 4.57% by 2010. Those identifying as two or more races also experienced a significant drop, going from 4.92% in 2000 to 2.78% in 2010. However, the Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native segments saw minor increases in the same period.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander88.26%91.22%3.35%
White5.72%4.57%-20.1%
Two or More Races4.92%2.78%-43.5%
Hispanic0.55%0.71%29.09%
Black0.34%0.42%23.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.21%0.3%42.86%

Sinha 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 Sinha is Northern Indian & Pakistani, which comprises 47.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Bengali & Northeast Indian (24.0%) and Southern Indian & Sri Lankan (11.1%). Additional ancestries include British & Irish, Southern Indian Subgroup, French & German, Scandinavian, and Italian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Northern Indian & Pakistani47.2%
Bengali & Northeast Indian24.0%
Southern Indian & Sri Lankan11.1%
Other17.6%
Sinha

Possible origins of the surname Sinha

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 Sinha have recent ancestry locations in India and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Bihar, India44.00%
Uttar Pradesh, India40.00%
Gujarat, India21.00%
Kerala, India18.00%
Maharashtra, India17.00%

What Sinha 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 Sinha is R-L295, which is predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian ancestry. Haplogroup R-L295 is descended from haplogroup R-M479. Other common haplogroups include R-Y7 and J-L26, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kumar, Shah, Mehta, Sharma, Joshi, Rahman, Sheikh, Gandhi, Persaud, Singh.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sinha surname are: M, M4_64, M30. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.

sinhaPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M479
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Romani people

The Roma, who are also called "Gypsies" and "Romanies," are an ethnic group that originated in India and migrated to Europe 1,000 years ago. There are several different Roma populations, including Vlach Roma, who speak Hungarian and Romani languages, and Carpathian Roma, who speak exclusively Hungarian. Today, Roma populations mostly live in Southeastern and Central Europe, and make up about 7% of the total population in Hungary. Haplogroup R2a is also present in a Kuwaiti Bedouin population called the Awazim. It is possible that haplogroup R2a was brought into the Awazim population during the migration of the Roma people from India to Europe 1,000 years ago.

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 Sinha 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

Sinha

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Sinha" Surname 61.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Sinha

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Sinha" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Sinha

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Sinha" Surname 18.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Sinha

Migraine

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

"Sinha" Surname 11.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Sinha?

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 Sinha 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

Northern Indian & Pakistani 52.7%

23andMe Users 57.2%