Explore the Family Name Stuart

The meaning of Stuart

Scottish (Aberdeenshire and Banffshire): variant of Stewart. This French form of the name, there being no W in the French language, was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, on her return to Scotland in 1561 and has since come to be more popular among royalists than the earlier spellings. History: Stuart or Stewart is the surname of one of the great families of Scotland (see note at Stewart).

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Stuart saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 883rd in frequency of use, but by 2010, it had slipped to 951st place, representing a 7.7% drop. Despite this rank decline, the actual count of individuals with the surname Stuart increased marginally from 35,701 to 36,540, marking a 2.35% rise. However, when gauging the proportion per 100k people, there was a decrease of 6.35%, shifting from 13.23 to 12.39 over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#883#951-7.7%
Count35,70136,5402.35%
Proportion per 100k13.2312.39-6.35%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Stuart

The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals shifts in the ethnicity associated with the surname Stuart from 2000 to 2010. White individuals represented the majority holders of the name both years, although their percentage dropped slightly from 85.41% to 84.01%. The Hispanic population holding the Stuart name experienced significant growth, jumping from 2.14% to 3.03%, a 41.59% increase. There was also a notable 50% increase among the Asian/Pacific Islander group, albeit from a much smaller base, moving from 0.46% to 0.69%. Those identifying with two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw moderate increases, while the Black population remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 9.81% to 9.88%.

20002010Change
White85.41%84.01%-1.64%
Black9.81%9.88%0.71%
Hispanic2.14%3.03%41.59%
Two or More Races1.66%1.81%9.04%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.69%50%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.53%0.58%9.43%

Stuart 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 Stuart is British & Irish, which comprises 54.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.7%) and Eastern European (4.8%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish54.2%
French & German20.7%
Eastern European4.8%
Other20.3%
Stuart

Possible origins of the surname Stuart

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

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom87.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom86.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom86.70%
West Midlands, United Kingdom86.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom86.50%

What Stuart 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 Stuart is R-S775, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S775 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Stewart, Matthews, Thomson, Thompson, Evans, Thomas, Martin, Davis, Smith, Roberts.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Stuart surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

stuartPaternal 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 Stuart 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

Stuart

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Stuart" Surname 47.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Stuart

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Stuart" Surname 24.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Stuart

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Stuart" Surname 19.2%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Stuart

Migraine

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

"Stuart" Surname 19.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Stuart?

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 Stuart 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

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%