Explore the Family Name Solomon
The meaning of Solomon
Jewish, English, Scottish, Dutch, Swedish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Ethiopian, and Eritrean; Spanish (Solomón): from a vernacular form of the Biblical Hebrew personal name Shelomo, a derivative of shalom ‘peace’. The name Solomon has for generations been a popular Jewish name and was also fairly widespread in the Middle Ages among Christians. In the Bible it is the name of King David’s successor, noted for his wisdom; among Christians it was therefore also used as a nickname for a man who was considered wise. The spelling Solomon is used in the King James Bible of 1611, which is why this is the standard form of the name in modern English, but spellings with Sal- were more usual across continental Europe, the 1534 Lutheran Bible rendering it as Salomo and the 1560 Geneva Bible as Salomon. From the 7th century the spelling Salomon is recorded as a Christian personal name in France, where it was the name of several saints including a Breton king martyred in 874. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages (see Salomon, Salamon). See also Salmon 1. — Note: Since Ethiopians and Eritreans do not have hereditary surnames, the Ethiopian and Eritrean name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Solomon in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Solomon has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 726th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had dropped to the 745th position, a change of -2.62%. Despite this, the actual count of people with the surname increased by 8.63% over the same period, growing from 42,839 individuals in 2000 to 46,534 in 2010. However, the proportion of individuals named Solomon per 100,000 people decreased slightly by -0.63%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #726 | #745 | -2.62% |
| Count | 42,839 | 46,534 | 8.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 15.88 | 15.78 | -0.63% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Solomon
The ethnicity distribution for the surname Solomon also evolved from 2000 to 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest ethnic group associated with the Solomon surname is White, though their representation fell from 62.53% in 2000 to 57.83% in 2010. The second largest ethnic group is Black with an increase from 29.65% in 2000 to 32.11% in 2010. Other groups that saw significant increases during this period are those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic, their numbers rose by 41.63% and 43.18%, respectively. Meanwhile, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category experienced a modest increase of 12.40%. Lastly, the proportion of individuals identified as belonging to two or more races grew by 9.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 62.53% | 57.83% | -7.52% |
| Black | 29.65% | 32.11% | 8.3% |
| Hispanic | 2.2% | 3.15% | 43.18% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.21% | 3.13% | 41.63% |
| Two or More Races | 2.2% | 2.41% | 9.55% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.21% | 1.36% | 12.4% |
Solomon 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 Solomon is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 29.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (28.1%) and French & German (12.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 29.7% |
| British & Irish | 28.1% |
| French & German | 12.4% |
| Other | 29.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Solomon
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 Solomon have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 53.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 52.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 52.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 52.50% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 52.10% |
What Solomon 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 Solomon is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schwartz, Weiss, Simon, Stein, Rubin, Klein, Friedman, Frank, Goldstein, Berger.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Solomon surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages
Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.
Your 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 Solomon 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.
"Solomon" Surname 43.5%
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.
"Solomon" Surname 27.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Solomon" Surname 18.5%
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.
"Solomon" Surname 15.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Solomon?
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 Solomon are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition