Explore the Family Name Sterling
The meaning of Sterling
1. Scottish: variant of Stirling. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Starling, Sterling (Old English Stærling), itself from the bird-name, whose use as a nickname may also be another source of the surname. Compare Stare 2. 3. German: from Middle High German sterlinc, the name of a coin, hence probably a nickname for someone who paid that amount in rent. History: William Sterling settled in Haverhill, MA, in 1662.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sterling in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sterling has seen moderate changes in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname dropped slightly from 1333 to 1362, showing a decrease of -2.18 in its standing among all surnames in the United States. However, the count of individuals with the Sterling surname actually increased by 6.5 percent, going from 24,314 in 2000 to 25,894 in 2010. This resulted in a slight decrease in the proportion per 100,000 people from 9.01 to 8.78.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,333 | #1,362 | -2.18% |
| Count | 24,314 | 25,894 | 6.5% |
| Proportion per 100k | 9.01 | 8.78 | -2.55% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sterling
With regard to ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows varying levels of change for the Sterling surname from 2000 to 2010. The largest increase was observed among those identifying as Hispanic, which saw a rise of 42.16 percent. There was also an increase in identification with Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity (32.69 percent), Black ethnicity (7.92 percent) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (6.52 percent). On the other hand, the number of Sterlings identifying as White decreased by 5.82 percent during this period. Lastly, there was a modest increase of 17.82 percent in individuals identifying with two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.54% | 63.61% | -5.82% |
| Black | 26.4% | 28.49% | 7.92% |
| Hispanic | 3.06% | 4.35% | 42.16% |
| Two or More Races | 2.02% | 2.38% | 17.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.52% | 0.69% | 32.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.46% | 0.49% | 6.52% |
Sterling 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 Sterling is British & Irish, which comprises 42.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.6%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (8.2%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Eastern European, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 42.4% |
| French & German | 23.6% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 8.2% |
| Other | 25.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Sterling
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 Sterling have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 73.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 73.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 72.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 72.70% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 72.70% |
What Sterling 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 Sterling is I-F2642, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-F2642 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-Y4925 and R-L664, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Walker, Brown, Robinson, Smith, Green, Johnson, Young, Fisher, Cooper, Thompson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sterling 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 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 Sterling 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.
"Sterling" Surname 42.8%
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.
"Sterling" Surname 21.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sterling" Surname 19.4%
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.
"Sterling" Surname 19.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sterling?
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 Sterling are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition