Explore the Family Name Urquhart

The meaning of Urquhart

Scottish (Ross and Cromarty): habitational name from any of various places in Scotland so called, notably the barony of Urquhart (Inverness), or places in Ross and Cromarty, Morayshire, and Fife. All are thought to derive from Pictish ar ‘on, by’ + Pictish carden ‘enclosure’ or ‘wood, copse’. Some bearers of this name trace their descent from William de Urchard, who fought for Robert the Bruce between 1297 and 1328.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Urquhart in the United States?

The surname Urquhart, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, has moderately shifted in popularity in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 7381st in popularity, but by 2010 it had dropped slightly to 7578th, showing a decrease of about 2.67%. However, the overall count of people with this last name increased by approximately 5.33% during the same period, going from 4163 to 4385. The proportion per 100,000 people decreased slightly from 1.54 to 1.49, indicating a minor drop of about 3.25%.

20002010Change
Rank#7,381#7,578-2.67%
Count4,1634,3855.33%
Proportion per 100k1.541.49-3.25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Urquhart

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Urquhart based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, we see that there were some significant shifts between 2000 and 2010. The data shows an increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or More Races, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, with the most substantial increase seen in those identifying as Two or More Races (up by 105.37%). On the other hand, there was a decrease in individuals identifying as White, from 75.33% in 2000 to 71.90% in 2010, representing a 4.55% shift.

20002010Change
White75.33%71.9%-4.55%
Black21.16%22.03%4.11%
Two or More Races1.49%3.06%105.37%
Hispanic1.13%2.08%84.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.6%0.62%3.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.29%0.32%10.34%

Urquhart 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 Urquhart is British & Irish, which comprises 59.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.0%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish59.7%
French & German17.0%
Eastern European3.7%
Other19.6%
Urquhart

Possible origins of the surname Urquhart

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 Urquhart have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom83.20%
Greater London, United Kingdom83.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom83.20%
West Midlands, United Kingdom83.20%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom82.50%

What Urquhart 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 Urquhart is R-FGC10125, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC10125 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M222 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Campbell, Mcduffie, Mcafee, Gorman, Mooney, Harley, Mccoy, Millar, Mcdonald, Sinclair.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Urquhart surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

urquhartPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Urquhart 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

Urquhart

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Urquhart" Surname 34.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Urquhart

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Urquhart" Surname 31.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Urquhart

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Urquhart" Surname 27.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Urquhart

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Urquhart" Surname 20.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Urquhart?

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 Urquhart are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%