Explore the Family Name Travers
The meaning of Travers
1. English (of Norman origin): variant of Travis 1 and a cognate of 3 below, or a variant of Trevors, itself a variant of Trevor. 2. Irish (Leitrim and Donegal; of Anglo-Norman origin): variant of Trower. 3. French: topographic name for someone who lived at a crossing place, Old French travers, or a habitational name from (Le) Travers, the name of several places in various parts of France, named with this word. History: François Travers dit Sansregret from Saint-Projet in Deux-Sèvres, France, married Marie-Françoise Meunier in Quebec City, QC, in 1712.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Travers in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Travers has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Travers was ranked as the 4258th most common surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 4525th place, indicating a decrease in popularity by approximately 6.27%. However, despite this drop in ranking, the actual number of individuals carrying the Travers surname increased marginally from 7698 in 2000 to 7833 in 2010, a rise of about 1.75%. This suggests that while the relative popularity of the surname may have decreased, its absolute occurrence has grown.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,258 | #4,525 | -6.27% |
| Count | 7,698 | 7,833 | 1.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.85 | 2.66 | -6.67% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Travers
Shifting focus to ethnicity associated with the Travers surname, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some interesting changes from 2000 to 2010. The most significant increases were seen among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.52% to 0.82%), those reporting two or more races (from 1.31% to 1.86%) and those of Hispanic ethnicity (from 1.92% to 3.32%). This indicates growing diversity in the ethnic identities linked to the Travers surname. This is contrasted by a slight decrease in the percentage of white individuals with the Travers surname (from 85.28% to 83.07%) and black individuals (from 10.76% to 10.69%). Meanwhile, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals remained relatively steady, showing a small increase from 0.21% to 0.24%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.28% | 83.07% | -2.59% |
| Black | 10.76% | 10.69% | -0.65% |
| Hispanic | 1.92% | 3.32% | 72.92% |
| Two or More Races | 1.31% | 1.86% | 41.98% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.52% | 0.82% | 57.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.21% | 0.24% | 14.29% |
Travers 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 Travers is British & Irish, which comprises 53.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (15.7%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.4%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.8% |
| French & German | 15.7% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 6.4% |
| Other | 24.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Travers
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 Travers have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.00% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.40% |
What Travers 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 Travers is R-L1066.1, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L1066.1 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-M420, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Pepper, Osborne, Osborn, Lovell, Weeks, Adams, Mckay, Andrews, Lewis, Evans.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Travers surname are: T2, H, H1. 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 Travers 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.
"Travers" Surname 42.5%
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.
"Travers" Surname 35.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Travers" Surname 19.6%
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.
"Travers" Surname 20.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Travers?
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 Travers are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition