Explore the Family Name Sontag
The meaning of Sontag
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Sonntag.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sontag in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sontag has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 13,240, whereas by 2010, it had dropped to 14,090 in popularity - a change of approximately -6.42%. Despite the drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Sontag surname increased slightly, from 2,114 in 2000 to 2,134 in 2010, indicating an increase of around 0.95%. However, when measured as a proportion per 100,000 people, the prevalence of the name decreased by roughly -7.69%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,240 | #14,090 | -6.42% |
| Count | 2,114 | 2,134 | 0.95% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sontag
In terms of ethnic identity, data based on the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts among individuals with the Sontag surname between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as White represented the majority, although their percentage declined from 95.32% in 2000 to 91.89% in 2010. The Hispanic population saw significant growth during this period, increasing from 1.99% to 5.90%, a whopping change of 196.48%. There was also an increase in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 0.33% to 0.70%, marking a change of 112.12%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black were reported at 0% in 2010, a decrease from 2000, when they represented 0.61% and 0.43% respectively. For those identifying with two or more races, there was a decline from 1.32% to 0.84%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.32% | 91.89% | -3.6% |
| Hispanic | 1.99% | 5.9% | 196.48% |
| Two or More Races | 1.32% | 0.84% | -36.36% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.33% | 0.7% | 112.12% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.61% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0.43% | 0% | 0% |
Sontag 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 Sontag is French & German, which comprises 30.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (27.7%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (21.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 30.2% |
| British & Irish | 27.7% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 21.1% |
| Other | 21.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Sontag
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 Sontag have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 71.70% |
What Sontag 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 Sontag is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sontag surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
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 Sontag 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.
"Sontag" Surname 38.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Sontag" Surname 38.5%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Sontag" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sontag" Surname 14.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sontag?
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 Sontag are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition