Explore the Family Name Steiger

The meaning of Steiger

German: 1. variant of Steger. 2. occupational name from Middle High German stīger ‘foreman, mine inspector’. 3. topographic name for someone who lived near or at a steep road, from Middle High German stīc, stīge ‘steep trail or road’. 4. habitational name for someone from Steige in Alsace or Steig Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Fritz, Horst, Hans, Ueli, Volker, Bernhard, Hildegarde, Johann, Nikolaus, Reinhard.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Steiger ranked 8,000 in popularity in 2000 and moved to a slightly less popular rank of 8,313 by 2010, marking a decrease of approximately 3.91%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 3,828 in 2000 to 3,986 in 2010, an increase of about 4.13%. The proportion of those bearing the surname Steiger per 100,000 decreased by 4.93% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#8,000#8,313-3.91%
Count3,8283,9864.13%
Proportion per 100k1.421.35-4.93%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Steiger

When it comes to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Steiger, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there was a significant increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black between 2000 and 2010, with increases of 73.81% and 65.52%, respectively. At the same time, individuals identifying as Hispanic also increased by 25.36%. However, the number of people identifying as two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native with this surname decreased by 15.75% and 25.00% respectively. The majority of those with the surname Steiger identified as White, although there was a slight decrease in this category from 96.00% in 2000 to 95.51% in 2010.

20002010Change
White96%95.51%-0.51%
Hispanic1.38%1.73%25.36%
Two or More Races1.46%1.23%-15.75%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.42%0.73%73.81%
Black0.29%0.48%65.52%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.44%0.33%-25%

Steiger 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 Steiger is French & German, which comprises 34.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (30.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (13.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Japanese, and Greek & Balkan.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German34.5%
British & Irish30.8%
Ashkenazi Jewish13.1%
Other21.7%
Steiger

Possible origins of the surname Steiger

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom66.70%
Greater London, United Kingdom66.70%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom66.70%
Lancashire, United Kingdom64.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom64.90%

What Steiger 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 Steiger is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Gilles, Galli, Marti, Remy, Koon, Hitchcock, Renaud, Foss, Geisler, Schmit.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Steiger surname are: H1, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

steigerPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Steiger 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

Steiger

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Steiger" Surname 40.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Steiger

Cheek Dimples

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

"Steiger" Surname 50.0%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Steiger

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Steiger" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Steiger

Migraine

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

"Steiger" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Steiger?

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 Steiger 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

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%