Explore the Family Name Sy
The meaning of Sy
1. Filipino: of Chinese origin, see 2 and 3 below. 2. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 施 (see Shi 3) and 薛 (see Xue). 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 李, see Li 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 徐, based on its pronunciation in Hakka dialect, see Xu 1. 5. West African (Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and Guinea): from the name of the Sy clan of the Tukulor people, apparently based on the Soninke word si ‘horse’. This surname is also found among the Soninkes. 6. French (mainly Pas-de-Calais): variant of Flemish Sys, itself a variant of Syx and Six. This surname is also found in Germany (see also 7 below). Compare See and Sie. 7. German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name containing the element sigi ‘victory’. The name is at least in part of cognate French and ultimately Flemish origin (see 6 above). History: The surname of French and ultimately Flemish origin (see 6 above) was in large part brought to the US from Germany. It is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Teresita, Alfredo, Roberto, Edgardo, Erlinda, Lourdes, Ruben, Angelito, Armando, Benito, Carlos. African/Muslim Hamidou, Cheikh, Mamadou, Modou, Oumar, Ousmane, Thierno.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sy in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Sy' has substantially increased in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Sy' was ranked as the 10,566th most popular surname, while by 2010 it had risen to 7,473rd place - a change of 29.27%. The count of individuals with this surname also experienced a substantial surge from 2,787 in 2000 to 4,457 in 2010, representing an increase of nearly 60%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the 'Sy' surname per 100k of the population also went up by 46.6%, from 1.03 in 2000 to 1.51 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,566 | #7,473 | 29.27% |
| Count | 2,787 | 4,457 | 59.92% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.03 | 1.51 | 46.6% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sy
When considering the ethnic identity associated with the surname 'Sy', the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, approximately 78.15% of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, but by 2010 this figure had decreased to 71.89%. Meanwhile, there was a significant increase in the percentage identifying as Black, from 9.87% in 2000 to 19.07% in 2010. Those identifying as White dropped from 7.68% to 5.63% over the same period. There was also a decrease in individuals reporting two or more races, falling from 3.37% to 2.06%. The data for Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities remained unchanged with no reported individuals identifying under these categories in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 78.15% | 71.89% | -8.01% |
| Black | 9.87% | 19.07% | 93.21% |
| White | 7.68% | 5.63% | -26.69% |
| Two or More Races | 3.37% | 2.06% | -38.87% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Sy 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 Sy is Chinese, which comprises 51.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Filipino & Austronesian (25.0%) and Vietnamese (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Chinese Dai, British & Irish, Indonesian, Thai, Khmer & Myanma, French & German, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 51.4% |
| Filipino & Austronesian | 25.0% |
| Vietnamese | 5.0% |
| Other | 18.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Sy
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 Sy have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in China, and Taiwan.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Guangdong, China | 81.50% |
| Jiangsu, China | 80.40% |
| Zhejiang, China | 79.30% |
| Fujian, China | 78.30% |
| Shandong, China | 78.30% |
What Sy 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 Sy is O-F46, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F46 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include O-Page23 and O-M1470, which are predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hom, Tam, Tom, Woo, Dong, Yau, Guo, Tian, Li, Sun.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sy surname are: B4, E1, R. These most commonly trace back to individuals of East Asian & Indigenous American and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to many of the Massim groups of Papua New Guinea
Haplogroup O2a is prevalent among Massim ethnic groups, including the populations of Airara, Nomanby, the eastern tip of the mainland, the Trobriand Islands, Gawa, Woodlark, the Laughland Islands, and western Calvados. While Papua New Guinea has been inhabited for over 50,000 years, the Massim may have arrived in the last 2,000 years. Today, these populations remain connected through a traditional island trading system called the Kula Ring. Under this exchange system, residents ensure that goods that are only available on some islands, but that are vitally needed in other islands, are shared among the island populations. Only Massim men participate in the Kula exchange system, and it is common for men to be away from home for months at a time when trading with men from other islands.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the Han
Members of haplogroups B4 and B5 are quite frequent in both northern and southern Han Chinese populations. The Han people, who all share the same language and similar cultural practices, are the largest ethnic group in the world, with about 1.2 billion people. Historical evidence shows that Han people are descendants of the ancient Huaxia tribes that come from northern China, centered in Zhongyuan, China's Central Plain. The spread of Han people, language and culture from northern to southern China only occurred in the last 2,000 years, and was likely driven by warfare and famine in the north.
What do people with the surname Sy 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.
"Sy" Surname 30.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Acrophobia
An intense fear of heights that goes beyond the concern many people feel around significant heights.
"Sy" Surname 31.2%
23andMe Users 16.7%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sy" Surname 17.9%
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.
"Sy" Surname 10.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sy?
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 Sy are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition