Explore the Family Name Usher
The meaning of Usher
1. English: occupational name from Middle English usher ‘usher, doorkeeper’, Old French (le) ussier, huissier, Anglo-Norman French usser, from Late Latin ustiarius, a derivative of classical Latin ostium ‘door, gate’. The term was also used in the Middle Ages of a court official charged with accompanying a person of rank on ceremonial occasions, and this may be a partial source of the surname. This name has been in Ireland since 1302, when John le Ussher was constable of Dublin Castle, and has sometimes been used as an equivalent of Hesson. 2. Jewish (from Poland and Ukraine): from a southern Yiddish pronunciation of the Yiddish male personal name Osher (Hebrew Asher). History: Hezekiah Usher (died 1676) is buried in King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, MA.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Usher in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Usher" experienced minor fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, "Usher" was ranked as the 4572nd most popular surname with a count of 7,118, which represented 2.64 per 100k people in the population. By 2010, the rank had slightly dropped to 4742, even though the count increased to 7,477, representing 2.53 per 100k people. This change represents a -3.72% shift in rank but a 5.04% increase in count.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,572 | #4,742 | -3.72% |
| Count | 7,118 | 7,477 | 5.04% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.64 | 2.53 | -4.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Usher
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Usher" also showed some changes, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 69.33% of those bearing the surname were identified as White, followed by Black at 25.22%, Hispanic at 2.18%, two or more races at 2.43%, Asian/Pacific Islander at 0.31%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native at 0.53%. By 2010, while the White representation decreased to 66.52%, the Black representation increased to 27.55%, and Hispanic representation rose to 3.05%. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races decreased to 1.93%, while the representatives of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native increased to 0.39% and 0.56% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 69.33% | 66.52% | -4.05% |
| Black | 25.22% | 27.55% | 9.24% |
| Hispanic | 2.18% | 3.05% | 39.91% |
| Two or More Races | 2.43% | 1.93% | -20.58% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.53% | 0.56% | 5.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.31% | 0.39% | 25.81% |
Usher 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 Usher is British & Irish, which comprises 54.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.0%) and Scandinavian (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.6% |
| French & German | 19.0% |
| Scandinavian | 4.1% |
| Other | 22.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Usher
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 Usher have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 83.10% |
What Usher 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 Usher is R-L20, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L20 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Phoenix, Hewitt, Cleveland, Laws, Powell, Britton, Sanderson, Manning, Waldron, Sylvester.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Usher 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 Usher 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.
"Usher" Surname 44.0%
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.
"Usher" Surname 23.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Usher" Surname 25.3%
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.
"Usher" Surname 16.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Usher?
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 Usher are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition