Explore the Family Name Spivey
The meaning of Spivey
English (Yorkshire): from the Middle English personal name Spivi, of unexplained etymology. There is a slight possibility that it could be a pet form of ancient Germanic Spirwig, attested in the patronymic of a Norman tenant, Eudo filius Spireuuic, 1086 in Domesday Book (Lincolnshire). The alteration of Spivey to Spib(e)y, as if it were from a placename, seems to occurs from the 15th century, but the letters -v- and -b- are often difficult to distinguish at this time and during the following century, so the phonetic change may have occurred later.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Spivey in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Spivey saw a slight decrease in ranking between 2000 and 2010, moving from rank 1615 to 1702, a drop of approximately 5.39%. However, despite the fall in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Spivey surname increased by about 3.99%, from 20,349 in 2000 to 21,161 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 of the population also experienced a small decrease, falling by 4.91% from 7.54 to 7.17.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,615 | #1,702 | -5.39% |
| Count | 20,349 | 21,161 | 3.99% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.54 | 7.17 | -4.91% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Spivey
The ethnic identity associated with the Spivey surname also shifted subtly during this decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In terms of ethnicity, the largest segment identified as White, although the percentage dropped slightly from 69.62% in 2000 to 67.93% in 2010. The second-largest group identified as Black, and saw a minor increase from 26.83% to 27.22%. Other ethnic identities such as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native all saw increases over the decade, with the highest increase being seen in the Hispanic category, which rose by 40%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.62% | 67.93% | -2.43% |
| Black | 26.83% | 27.22% | 1.45% |
| Two or More Races | 1.56% | 2.13% | 36.54% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 1.89% | 40% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0.45% | 25% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.29% | 0.39% | 34.48% |
Spivey 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 Spivey is British & Irish, which comprises 60.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.5%) and Nigerian (4.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Angolan & Congolese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.4% |
| French & German | 16.5% |
| Nigerian | 4.5% |
| Other | 18.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Spivey
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 Spivey have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
What Spivey 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 Spivey is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include E-P252 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Burleson, Lockwood, Holcomb, Hensley, Cowles, Waldrop, Dunlop, Ostrander, Holcombe, Cady.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Spivey surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Spivey 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.
"Spivey" Surname 37.5%
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.
"Spivey" Surname 25.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Spivey" Surname 17.8%
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.
"Spivey" Surname 11.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Spivey?
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 Spivey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition