Explore the Family Name Trotter
The meaning of Trotter
1. English (northern; also found in southern Scotland): perhaps from an unrecorded sense of Middle English trotter ‘one who rides a trotting horse’, a derivative of Middle English trotten ‘to ride at a trot, at a fast pace’. It may have been given to a messenger (see Trotman). Alternatively, perhaps from a shortened form of an unrecorded Middle English trotterer ‘dealer in trotting horses’, a derivative of Middle English trotter (Old French trotier) ‘horse that trots’. 2. German: occupational name for a vintner, from a derivative of Middle High German trot(t)e ‘winepress’ (a loan translation from Latin calcatura). The word and the surname are confined largely to Alsace, Lorraine, Switzerland, and Swabia.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Trotter in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, popularity of the surname Trotter has seen slight changes between 2000 and 2010. In terms of rank, the surname dropped from 1734 in 2000 to 1801 in 2010, marking a decline of 3.86 percent. However, the count of people with the Trotter surname increased by 5.18 percent, rising from 18,946 in 2000 to 19,927 in 2010. The proportion per 100k people saw a drop of 3.7 percent, shifting from 7.02 to 6.76.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,734 | #1,801 | -3.86% |
| Count | 18,946 | 19,927 | 5.18% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.02 | 6.76 | -3.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Trotter
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the Trotter surname is most prevalent among those identifying as White, although this percentage decreased slightly from 64.28 percent in 2000 to 61.68 percent in 2010. The second largest ethnic identity associated with the Trotter name is Black, which saw a small increase from 31.46 percent in 2000 to 32.11 percent in 2010. The most significant change was observed within the Hispanic group, which experienced a 73.33 percent increase, albeit from a smaller base of 1.35 percent in 2000 to 2.34 percent in 2010. The percentages of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw increases over this time period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 64.28% | 61.68% | -4.04% |
| Black | 31.46% | 32.11% | 2.07% |
| Two or More Races | 2.03% | 2.84% | 39.9% |
| Hispanic | 1.35% | 2.34% | 73.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.38% | 0.52% | 36.84% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.5% | 0.52% | 4% |
Trotter 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 Trotter is British & Irish, which comprises 55.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.4%) and Nigerian (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.1% |
| French & German | 19.4% |
| Nigerian | 3.9% |
| Other | 21.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Trotter
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 Trotter have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
What Trotter 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 Trotter 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-S14328 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Howe, Hutchinson, Sherman, Prince, Cameron, Ralph, Sims, Phillips, Rees, Shaw.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Trotter 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 Trotter 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.
"Trotter" Surname 42.0%
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.
"Trotter" Surname 23.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Trotter" Surname 28.2%
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.
"Trotter" Surname 18.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Trotter?
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 Trotter are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition