Explore the Family Name Temple
The meaning of Temple
1. English (northern England and London), Scottish, and French: from Middle English, Old French temple ‘temple’ (from Latin templum), denoting a religious house or manorial estate of the Knights Templar. The surname may be a metonymic occupational name for someone who lived or worked at such an establishment, or a habitational name from a place so named, such as Temple in Cornwall (Midlothian). The Knights Templar were a crusading order, so named because they claimed to occupy in Jerusalem the site of the old temple. The order was founded in 1118 and flourished for 200 years, but was suppressed as heretical in 1312. 2. English: nickname given to foundlings baptized at the Temple Church, London, so called because it was originally built on land belonging to the Templars. 3. Americanized form of North German or Dutch Tempel 1.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Temple in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Temple had a slight drop in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1507th most popular surname and by 2010, it had slipped to 1590th, representing a decrease of 5.51%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Temple surname increased from 21,771 in 2000 to 22,549 in 2010, an increase of 3.57%. The proportion per 100k also decreased slightly from 8.07 in 2000 to 7.64 in 2010, which is approximately -5.33% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,507 | #1,590 | -5.51% |
| Count | 21,771 | 22,549 | 3.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.07 | 7.64 | -5.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Temple
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Temple also showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010, as documented by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of people with the Temple surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 0.63% in 2000 to 0.85% in 2010, and those identifying as having two or more races grew from 1.52% to 2.12%. The largest leap was seen among those identifying as Hispanic, with an increase from 1.49% to 2.28%. However, the percentage identifying as White saw a small drop from 81.89% to 79.75%, while the Black community saw a minor increase from 14.00% to 14.58%. The only decrease was noted among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, from 0.46% in 2000 to 0.43% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 81.89% | 79.75% | -2.61% |
| Black | 14% | 14.58% | 4.14% |
| Hispanic | 1.49% | 2.28% | 53.02% |
| Two or More Races | 1.52% | 2.12% | 39.47% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.63% | 0.85% | 34.92% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.46% | 0.43% | -6.52% |
Temple 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 Temple is British & Irish, which comprises 50.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.6%) and Scandinavian (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.1% |
| French & German | 25.6% |
| Scandinavian | 4.2% |
| Other | 20.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Temple
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 Temple have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
What Temple 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 Temple 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-Z159, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Middleton, Cameron, Sherman, Hughes, Morgan, Lloyd, Phillips, Swan, Hopkins, Slater.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Temple 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 Temple 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.
"Temple" Surname 50.3%
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.
"Temple" Surname 31.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Temple" Surname 25.0%
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.
"Temple" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Temple?
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 Temple are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition