Explore the Family Name Sugar
The meaning of Sugar
1. English: nickname from Middle English sugre, suker ‘sugar’ (Old French sucre, Anglo-Norman French soucre, sugre), used for a sweet-natured person, or perhaps for a confectioner or dealer in sugar, in which case Sugar might be a shortened form of Sugarer. 2. English: possibly from the ancient Germanic personal name Sudgar, Suger (perhaps for swi(n)th- ‘strong’ + gēr ‘spear’, but this is uncertain), although there is no evidence of its use as a personal name in medieval Normandy or in Anglo-Norman England. 3. English: variant of Shocker, a nickname from Middle English shokere, Old English sceācere ‘robber’. 4. Hungarian (Sugár): nickname for a well-built person, from sugár ‘tall, slim’. 5. Czech and Slovak (Šugar, Šugár): probably a nickname of Hungarian origin (see above). 6. Croatian (Šugar): nickname from a Croatized form of Romanian sugare ‘lamb, born behind its time’, used among Wallachian shepherds. 7. Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Zucker and possibly also of other surnames meaning ‘sugar’: Hungarian Czukor, Croatian Cukor (both from Hungarian cukor, a loanword from German). Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Charna, Emanuel, Mandel, Mordechai, Moshe.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sugar in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Sugar" experienced a slight drop in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, it was ranked 18,196th most popular surname across the country, falling to 19,390th by 2010, which represents a decrease of 6.56%. The number of people sharing the name also fell during this period, decreasing by 1.13% from 1,410 in 2000 to 1,394 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of individuals with the surname per 100,000 people dropped by 9.62%, from 0.52 in 2000 to 0.47 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,196 | #19,390 | -6.56% |
| Count | 1,410 | 1,394 | -1.13% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.52 | 0.47 | -9.62% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sugar
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifting trends for those carrying the surname "Sugar" between 2000 and 2010. While the vast majority identified as White in both census years (90.35% in 2000 and 87.66% in 2010), there were notable increases in other ethnic identities. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose significantly from 0.99% to 2.44%, indicating a growth of 146.46%. The group acknowledging two or more races also saw substantial growth, increasing by 103.26% from 0.92% to 1.87%. There were smaller increases in those identifying as Hispanic (1.91% to 2.22%) and Black (3.26% to 3.59%). On the other hand, the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native declined, from 2.55% in 2000 to 2.22% in 2010, a decrease of 12.94%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.35% | 87.66% | -2.98% |
| Black | 3.26% | 3.59% | 10.12% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.99% | 2.44% | 146.46% |
| Hispanic | 1.91% | 2.22% | 16.23% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.55% | 2.22% | -12.94% |
| Two or More Races | 0.92% | 1.87% | 103.26% |
Sugar 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 Sugar is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 40.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (17.2%) and Eastern European (9.8%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Italian, Greek & Balkan, Scandinavian, and Manchurian & Mongolian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 40.3% |
| British & Irish | 17.2% |
| Eastern European | 9.8% |
| Other | 32.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Sugar
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 Sugar have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 44.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 44.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 44.40% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 44.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 44.40% |
What Sugar 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 Sugar 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 Sugar surname are: U5, H1, 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 Sugar 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.
Traits
Light Hair
Hair that is blonde or light brown in color
"Sugar" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 50.5%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Sugar" Surname 46.7%
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.
"Sugar" Surname 12.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sugar?
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 Sugar are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition