Explore the Family Name Taylor
The meaning of Taylor
1. English, Scottish, and Irish: occupational name for a tailor, from Anglo-Norman French, Middle English taillour ‘tailor’ (Old French tailleor, tailleur; Late Latin taliator, from taliare ‘to cut’). The surname is extremely common in Britain and Ireland. In North America, it has absorbed equivalents from other languages, many of which are also common among Ashkenazic Jews, for example German Schneider and Hungarian Szabo. It is also very common among African Americans. 2. In some cases also an Americanized form of French Terrien ‘owner of a farmland’ or of its altered forms, such as Therrien and Terrian.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Taylor in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Taylor has seen modest changes in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it held the rank of 13th most popular surname in the United States but dropped to 17th by 2010, marking a decrease of approximately 30.77%. Despite this drop in ranking, the total count of individuals with the Taylor surname actually increased by about 4.28% from 720,370 to 751,209 people. However, the proportion per 100,000 people declined slightly by 4.63%, suggesting that while the absolute number of Taylors grew, their prevalence relative to the overall population decreased slightly.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13 | #17 | -30.77% |
| Count | 720,370 | 751,209 | 4.28% |
| Proportion per 100k | 267.04 | 254.67 | -4.63% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Taylor
When examining the ethnic identity associated with the Taylor surname from the same census data, we can observe several shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Taylors identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose by 43.59%, and those reporting two or more races increased by 35.39%. Those identifying as Hispanic also saw significant growth, with an increase of 52.80%. On the other hand, the percentage of white Taylors decreased by around 3.57%. Overall, Black Taylors saw a slight increase of 2.71%, while the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native Taylors stayed almost constant with a small rise of 1.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.8% | 65.38% | -3.57% |
| Black | 27.67% | 28.42% | 2.71% |
| Hispanic | 1.61% | 2.46% | 52.8% |
| Two or More Races | 1.78% | 2.41% | 35.39% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.75% | 0.76% | 1.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.39% | 0.56% | 43.59% |
Taylor 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 Taylor is British & Irish, which comprises 54.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.9%) and Nigerian (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.0% |
| French & German | 20.9% |
| Nigerian | 3.9% |
| Other | 21.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Taylor
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 Taylor have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
What Taylor 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 Taylor is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Brown, White, Thompson, Wilson, Clark, Green, Walker, Robinson, Young.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Taylor surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Taylor 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.
"Taylor" Surname 40.5%
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.
"Taylor" Surname 27.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Taylor" Surname 23.2%
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.
"Taylor" Surname 18.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Taylor?
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 Taylor are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition